Techie and the Agent
by Strudel Ninja
Summary: AU. Naruto's the brains behind the purple 'n orange TechTeam counter. He's smart, diligent. Maybe a little clumsy. And he's also a target for abduction by the evil organization Akatsuki. Now, it's super agent Sasuke to the rescue.
1. iWork for TechTeam

A/N: Yes, finally! A story I have fun writing.

Anyways, this is my first multi-chaptered story that I've posted. I got the idea (more like stole it) from NBC's new show, Chuck, which will be airing this September. I immediately fell in love with the idea, but it seemed a bit dull to me. But that's because I'm greedy. I did, however, change up some of the characters, and put my own little spin on it, so it's partially mine. Added to the fact that I haven't even _seen _the show, so it's impossible for the two plots to even compare. So the plot's mine too.

I'm not sure how it will turn out, but I'm hoping it will be satisfying for both you readers and myself. This is AU, set in America, and any likenesses between things/characters/places are obviously on purpose. I just don't want to disclaim anything, because it's not fun to do.

Take note: As much as I love SasuNaru, I don't feel comfortable enough as a writer to really go into this genre yet. I wanted this story to be friendly, and modest, but I do love a good romance every now and again, so I'll try to add the drama to spice it up. But mainly, it's going to stick with a friendship between the two. Who knows? As it progresses, it might advance a teensy weensy bit. If the story progresses, that is.

**I don't own Naruto.**

**_Techie and the Agent  
_**

**Chapter One**

iWork for TechTeam

* * *

"**Clean up on aisle 12, clean up on aisle 12, thank you**," drawled the intercom. Silence rang throughout the nearly deserted computer store, and Naruto had to forcefully restrain himself from rolling his eyes. 

Flinging his pen onto the tiled floor, he checked his surroundings to make sure he wasn't being watched.

"Woopsie. Better…grab that…pen," he muttered uselessly.

Swiftly ducking behind the counter, he checked his pockets for his car keys and wallet before army crawling to the back exit. The intercom continuously repeated its mantra of 'clean up'; Naruto paid no heed.

As soon as he pushed open the EXIT door to the back parking lot, he shouted, "Freedom!" and made a mad dash for his car.

Just as he was about to open the door to his small paid-by-the-company smart car, flashing all of its purple and orange wonder to the world…

A hand shot out of nowhere and prevented him from his previous task.

Startled, he turned his head to greet the sight of one irate Store Manager, who went by the name of Iruka.

"Where in the _blazes _do you think you're going?" The man asked venomously.

Naruto gulped. "Home?"

Iruka's glare was too much to handle, so he pulled out his car keys from the door handle and slapped them down onto the top of the car (ignoring the way they left a small dent).

"Okay, fine, you got me. I wanted to get home to check on my hamster, Leslie, and since my shift was over, I thought I could—"

"Your shift isn't over for another—" Iruka quickly consulted his watch. "4 minutes, Naruto! How could you even THINK about leaving early? Your co-workers need you! The whole industry of TechTeam Corp. needs you! _I _need you!"

"Leslie needs me…" Naruto mumbled.

The older man grabbed Naruto by the ear, proceeding to drag him back to the building.

"Come on, you still have another—" he checked his watch again. "3 minutes and 27 seconds left before the end of your shift."

Shoving the blonde into his small cubicle-like space behind the main counter, Iruka stalked off to the back, grumbling about irresponsible workers and the like.

Naruto groaned. His day was turning out_ just__ peachy._

"**CLEAN UP ON AISLE 12, **_**DAMN IT!**_**"**

* * *

Just as the minute hand struck the 6 on the ancient overhanging clock that was mounted on the main support beam, signaling the end of Naruto's long, tedious 4-hour shift, his co-worker Kiba sprang from nowhere and leaped onto the counter, sending Naruto into a state of shock. He landed on the ground with a large 'oomph'. 

Kiba grinned. "You should have seen your face!" He laughed, before taking on a more serious expression for what he had to say next. "Anyways, I came over here to tell you that Hinata's granny is sick, and so she needs to leave work now to check on her or something. I'm going to take her hours instead of yours, so you need to work until 7 tonight. Okay?"

The blonde's eye twitched. "_WHAT?" _He screeched.

"Just saying. See ya later, man." He flashed a set of pointy canine-like teeth before bounding away, presumably to chat with Hinata before she left.

Naruto smacked a hand over his face. Not only was Leslie going to be lonely tonight, but also he had to work for another 4 hours!

He stamped the company's logo angrily onto an innocent piece of paper with malice.

* * *

When his shift was finally over, he weaved through traffic in his tiny fuel-efficient car, and made his way to the low-end economy part of town, where his equally tiny apartment awaited. 

After unsuccessfully checking the television for any entertaining channels, he decided to check his emails and maybe play a little bit of solitaire (his one true obsession).

Emptying out the junk mail took a little more than 15 minutes, since his _stupid _company happened to release their workers' emails to random businesses who all send offers about free oil changes and discounts on home loans every day. _Stupid little—!_

Sighing, he booted up his deluxe solitaire expansion pack while absently stroking his hamster's furry head as she sat next to him.

"Good girl, Les-Les. You always stick by me, don't you? You cute little angel. Daddy loves you. Yes he does! Yes he does!"

---

Outside, settled on a tree branch and holding binoculars were two men. One was quite a bit larger than the other, and carried a massive handgun in his holster.

The other was jotting down notes on a small pad while giving 'affirmatives' and 'no sirs' to a small microphone near his ear. Both were dressed in black with small red clouds decorating the heavy material.

The bulky one nudged his partner, obviously uncomfortable with watching a 19 year old coo his pet hamster through a window.

"Hey," he whispered, "when're we gonna be done with this damn job?"

He indicated the darkening horizon behind them; it had to be around 8 PM or so.

The smaller one turned to face him.

"Hidan, shut up. We're taking notes—Actually, _I'm _taking notes—on this little kid because Boss told us to. Can't you go pray or something? I'm busy."

"But Sasori," whined Hidan. "Why the hell is he so interesting? He's just a stupid computer nerd making minimum wage. What could he have possibly done to make him Boss' prime target?"

Sasori sighed, running a hand through his messy scarlet hair.

"I think illegally obtaining every secret the CIA and FBI knows, as well as hacking into the government database and possibly knowing the intricate details of the workings of America and its systems—"

He put down his binoculars. "Is reason enough to want to kidnap him."

* * *

A/N: Is Hidan too friendly? I think so. Anyway, I already know where I want the first part of the plot to go, but after that is no man's land. I hope I can pull something together in time...if you have any comments on this, or want to give advice, please do. I get massive cases of Writer's Block frequently, so I need to depend on my friends immensely to keep the creative juices flowing. 

Next chapter will probably introduce Sasuke and maybe someone else, I'm not sure yet. My brain worked so hard last night (enabling me to stay up past 1 AM, by golly), that it's completely exhausted for the next 48 hours. Just in time for school tomorrow!

Review? Sure.


	2. You Got A Lot On Your Plate

A/N: In between the new school year, crappy science class and all these chores, I've managed to jump on the ball and write out 2 more chapters! I did have to split them apart (like atoms! Oh, gosh, Mr. Luke is getting to me...) because they were too large, but I managed.

I want to write longer chapters, but I feel like I shouldn't push it. They come as they go. And if they want to be a little over 1,000 words, then so be it. You can't make a zebra change its stripes! Or something like that...

**I don't own Naruto.**

**_Techie and the Agent_**

**Chapter Two**

You Got A Lot On Your Plate

* * *

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but I don't think I can repair this…" Naruto mumbled sheepishly. 

"Well you'd better! I've spent too many hours trying to find your store, and now that I'm here, I demand you fix it!" Wailed a tiny old lady, thrusting her cane at the innocent worker with her left hand, and brandishing a mangled 80's hair dryer with her right.

Naruto looked at his fellow employee, Sakura, who was popping her gum loudly and trying not to smirk at her friend's bad luck.

"Sakura…" he pleaded weakly. She grinned devilishly at him.

"Sorry, Naruto. I have _things _to do."

She lazily pushed her palm onto the stapler beside her, creating a crunching, grating metal noise that made the man cringe.

"Hey, you know I hate it when you do that!"

"I know. Now help this poor lady! Be a gentleman! Fix her hair dryer!"

She stormed off, pretending to be upset at Naruto's actions, but as soon as she was out of earshot, she fell over on the ground, clutching her stomach and bursting from laughter.

Said blonde pretended to make the lady disappear as he busied himself with some stray papers. However, the woman wouldn't be shunned _quite _so easily.

She flung a large paperweight at the man's head, earning herself an imaginary point on the now 1-0 scoreboard between her and the employee.

Rubbing his new goose egg bump, he tried as calmly as he could to maneuver the lady out of the store.

"Hey! What are you doin'! Let me go! Help! Help! Police!" Cried the lady. Clamping a hand over her mouth, the blond haired man lowered his face next to her ear.

"If you shut up," he whispered (trying to be as venomous as Iruka, but failing), "I'll give you a month's worth of free roam to take anything in this store for no charge, and I'll even throw in my tips. Sound good?"

She narrowed her wrinkled eyes at him. "No. Make it 2 months."

His eyes narrowed also. "1 and a half," he bargained.

"1 and 3 quarters."

"1 and 2 quarters."

She weighed her options, before gripping his tanned hand with hers and pulling it off her mouth. "Sold." She turned and hobbled away, cane dancing and hair dryer swaying.

Naruto grinned. Old people were so fun. Too bad he never _made _any tips…

"Shino," Naruto said suddenly, alerting another worker who had just walked into the room.

The other boy's glasses shined for a moment, before he crossed his arms.

"What?" He asked quietly.

"Never let that old lady come in here again."

"..."

* * *

A tinkling of a bell alerted the one-and-only counter boy, and he looked up from his phone calls to see who had entered. 

He dropped the phone.

"Sa…Sasu—"

"Hello, Uzumaki. Long time, no see."

The Uchiha's hard voice interrupted Naruto's thoughts, and he struggled to maintain a calm look.

Sakura then emerged from behind a shelf, curious to know who had entered. Her eyes widened.

"Well, he_llooo _Sexy—"

"Sakura!" Naruto shouted. She laughed, ruffling the blonde's hair before sauntering away. "Play nice now!" she teased. Naruto turned back to the slightly miffed brunette once she was gone.

As soon as he had seen the other boy's face, memories drifted by him as he relived his high school years.

Not only was Naruto unpopular growing up, and had nearly no friends, Sasuke Uchiha had been _immensely _popular. And had probably been the most stuck-up, arrogant, most self-centered JERK that Naruto had ever met.

And he was also his best friend.

He hadn't seen him since graduation over a year ago, since the dark haired boy left to go to some foreign college to study something equally as foreign, something Naruto had never thought to remember.

They had never talked, never communicated, and Naruto was sure that Sasuke had forgotten about him.

Not that he thought about it often, or anything.

Speechless, and with that stupid stare drilling into his face, Naruto did the only thing that came to mind; he flung a pencil at the stupid idiot.

Catching the "weapon" easily between his fingers, Sasuke placed it back onto the desk, and started to scrutinize the blonde, never speaking.

"What are _you _staring at?" Naruto asked haughtily.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "What do you think?"

"Well—" He started, but Sasuke cut him off.

"Never mind that. I came here to talk to you. This is probably the safest location to do so, but…it's still risky…" he looked deep in thought for a moment.

A blond eyebrow rose in question. "What's going on here—"

Suddenly, the Uchiha grabbed Naruto by the hand and dragged him off to the back room.

"Hey! Let me go!" Sasuke ignored him, squeezing between two large shipping crates and pulling the other man down with him. Crouching in the darkness, Sasuke strained his ears for any movement or noise.

After a few moments, he sighed in relief. "I thought someone was following us," he explained.

"How could someone be following us? We were alone in the store, except for Sakura and Shino," Naruto said.

"Not necessarily. We—Look, the world's not as safe as you imagine it to be. There could be someone looking for you right now. Always be on your guard."

Naruto could tell there was something being hinted between his words, but being the smart-yet-slow person he was (which is quite rare), he didn't have the slightest clue.

After a few moments, Sasuke sighed again.

"What's with all the sighing, Uchiha? And why are you here? First you come barging in like you own the place, next thing I know, I'm being held hostage next to the spare fax machines—"

"There's something you need to know."

"Oh?"

"Yes, _oh_. And don't call me Uchiha. I know I haven't talked to you in forever, but I had…things to take care of. I—"

A sudden explosion sounded through the dark room, and Sasuke immediately tensed.

A hole as big as a school bus had been blasted through the cement walls. Smoke and dust filled the air, and pieces of cardboard and random metal chunks littered the floor. Unfortunately, the lights were still turned off, so the panic level increased dramatically. Silhouetted against the bright sky behind them stood a group of 4 men, cloaked in red and black, and all carrying large handguns.

Leaping up, Sasuke hauled a shocked Naruto to his feet and took off for the door. Naruto quickly caught on that now was the time to flee, and that Sasuke was his safety.

Whoever those people were, they most certainly were _not _the good guys.

* * *

A/N: Another filler chapter down, another one to go. I'm on a roll with these chapters—I'm really surprised at how easily they flow out of my brain. Woah, that sounded weird... 

Leave a review!


	3. Legality Isn't the Issue Here

A/N: Tercer capítulo of the story, guys. This one felt like an extension of chapter 2, which it sort of was but I broke them apart. So if it seems weird at the beginning, then it probably is.

I had fun with the whole 'knowledge'-'Kyuubi' analogy in here. Akatsuki wants the demon in Naruto in the main plot, but in this place, they want his knowledge. Either way, they're out for him. Poor guy.

And I don't know about you, but when I set stories in America, I still like to put in Japanese suffixes and honorifics and such, like _dobe _and _-chan. _It's probably incorrect and I should stick to one or the other and everything, but who cares. I don't think it matters. But if it matters to you, then...deal.

**I don't own Naruto.**

**_Techie and the Agent_**

**Chapter Three**

Legality Isn't the Issue Here

* * *

"Which one is your car?" Shouted Sasuke over the rushing wind, eyes rapidly scanning the lot of vibrant vehicles. 

"3rd on the left!" Came the reply from behind, and Sasuke took on an extra burst of speed, still dragging a confused and out of breath Naruto behind him.

Shoving the key into the door and hopping inside, Sasuke doing the same, the blonde started the ignition. His smart car couldn't start fast enough, it seemed.

Wheels screeched as they sped out of the parking lot, Naruto's foot on the pedal and pushing as far as it could go.

After 30 seconds of swerving through afternoon traffic, Naruto had to ask.

"Who are they!?" He cried, his voice rising a few octaves higher than usual. "And what do they want!? Tell me, Sasuke! I know you know!" A faint trace of hysteria wound its way into the blonde's system as the seconds wore on.

Beads of sweat were forming on the raven's brow, and he threw all caution and warning (and small little versions of his boss repeatedly telling him never to reveal the nature of his mission to the client) out the window.

"They're after you, Naruto."

Surprised, Naruto hit the breaks harshly, sending the car into a mean spin and almost causing it to flip.

Catching himself in time and hitting the accelerator again, he turned his head. "What do you mean, _ME?!_"

Sasuke shook his head. "Not exactly you, but rather what's inside you."

Still confused, Naruto narrowly avoiding colliding with a mini van as he made a sharp left turn. "And just what the _hell _is inside of me?!" He asked defensively.

"Top-secret information that you hacked out of the government." Sasuke replied.

Jerking the steering wheel around, Naruto made a dangerous "parallel park"-type halt on the side of the road. The car seemed to gasp and splutter in exhaustion, or maybe it was just Sasuke's imagination. After making sure the now suddenly immobile car wasn't about to blow up, he turned his head inquisitively to ask why the blonde stopped driving. But all words left his mouth.

On the normally happy, serene tan face, there was horror, fright, anger and self-disgust all over it. The brunette's eyes widened. It was...disturbing, to say the least.

"NO! How did they know! HOW?!" Naruto cried, gripping his hair tightly between balled fists.

Sasuke could only stare as Naruto had what could only be described as an emotional breakdown. The light whisker-like scars on his cheeks were becoming slightly more pronounced…

Shaking his head and attempting to ignore his friend's screams and cries, he said, "Naruto, we have to keep driving! They'll catch up with us—"

"He said it wouldn't matter!" He cried.

"Who did? What are you talking about, Naruto?" The brunette shouted back. His palms were becoming clammy.

Rocking back and forth on the tiny seat, the blonde bit his knuckle nervously. "He…he said I could do it…he told me most of stuff to get in, but I trusted him…stupid lying cheating b—"

"NARUTO!" Yelled Sasuke. He grabbed his friend's shoulders, attempting to shake some sense into his hysterical body.

"PULL! YOURSELF! TOGETHER!"

This seemed to snap him out of his trance, and his expression shifted again to an anxious but aware normality.

Naruto sighed, seemingly forgetting all about what had just happened. "You're right. I—I need to forget him. Let's…let's go." He turned the key, ignoring Sasuke's incredulous stare, and putting the car back into drive.

A squealing of tires that wasn't entirely theirs hit the boys' senses.

Craning his neck around to see through the rear window, Sasuke saw a sleek red car come zooming toward them.

"DRIVE, NARUTO, DRIVE!" And he did just that.

---

"They're getting away, Sasori…" whined an orange-masked man, who was leaning around the driver's seat to see where they were going.

"Get back, Tobi! Stop being a backseat driver, and shut up, un!" Yelled an effeminate blond man sitting in the passenger side.

"Hmph! I'm just stating my opinion, _Deidara_, no need to blow up…" The blonde growled at the horribly intended pun.

"It looks like they're turning right up here. Kakuzu, do you have the coordinates?" Asked Sasori, whose red hair was stuck to his perspiring forehead.

"Heading east at 87 miles per hour, I think. Maybe 2 blocks ahead. They may be feigning a route, but we've got the advantage, so it shouldn't be a problem…"

"But we're forgetting who's with him!" Said Tobi from the back seat beside Kakuzu.

"What did I tell you, un?! No yelling at the driver!"

"You both are annoying," said Sasori.

The blonde crossed his arms and let his head rest on the window—glaring at nothing in particular—and a small childish pout settled on his lips. "_Sorry, _Sasori-_danna_," he mumbled sardonically, "un."

"That's a good boy, Deidara-chan," chuckled Sasori.

"I thought _I _was the good boy!?"

"Enough, Tobi!"

* * *

"Think we've lost them?" Naruto asked cautiously. Sasuke shook his head. 

"Definitely not, but we have a lead. They're probably tracking our car with GPS, so I'll have to change some things around here…" he fumbled in his coat pocket, which, until now, Naruto hadn't paid any attention to. It had many large pockets, and out of one Sasuke pulled a spray paint-type can.

"Open a window," he instructed.

Sticking the can outside, he quickly pushed the nozzle, and despite the wind rushing past them, a white misty foam immediately hit the side of the car. Instead of streaking against the wind vortex, it quickly started spreading like a type of bacteria, soon covering the entire car. Within moments, it was gone.

"Anti-detection foam. It's handy," Sasuke explained. Naruto nodded, internally impressed at how technological that sounded.

Sasuke couldn't help but think of how they got in this mess; Obviously, someone had forced or tricked Naruto into hacking into the government database, and it must have caused him great discomfort to relive it.

He remembered from all the years at school together that his friend would often use smiles and happy words to cover up how he truly felt. Now it made sense; Sasuke had been fooled, along with a ton of other people. There was more to the idiot than meets the eye.

Taking note not to bring up the hacking business until a later date, he decided to reveal at least one partial detail about this fiasco. He was surprised that Naruto hadn't asked already.

"Hey, Naruto, I have to tell you something—"

"OH MY _GOD_, you ARE a ninja!!! I so totally knew you were! Oh, this is so COOL! I can't _wait _to tell Sakura! Where's my cell phone—"

"No, _dobe, _I'm not a ninja…"

---

"Wait, hold on, Sasori, something's happening…" Kakuzu said, a hint of disbelief creeping into his words. 

"What?" The redhead asked.

"Yeah, what? What is it?" Tobi asked anxiously.

"They aren't traceable! Their GPS coordinate just disappeared. I don't know what that blond kid did to his car, but I can't find it anywhere!"

"Are you sure?" Sasori asked seriously. "It's not a mistake?"

"Positive. Something's fishy…"

Tobi poked Sasori in the shoulder. "I told you that you should have paid more attention to his friend! He looks just like a mini version of Ita—"

"Yeah, whatever. Who wants to tell Boss we lost 'em?"

Nobody said a word.

---

Naruto sat with baited breath. If Sasuke wasn't a ninja, then what else could he be? Naruto checked his list of 'Odd Things About Sasuke'; Extremely high-tech gadgets, highly trained instincts and a survival mode that rivals a grizzly bear…Stumped, he looked expectantly at his friend.

"Naruto, you're under attack by an organization that wants the secrets you…_obtained_. They are known as 'Akatsuki', and they will stop at nothing to get what they want. They will _kill you_, Naruto. And I've been ordered by my own organization to help you escape, and to train you to protect yourself. If you can't stay safe, they will probably kidnap you and use your knowledge for their personal gain. And when they're done with you...I wouldn't dwell on it.

"We first heard of your circumstances a few hours after the government reported it. It's been on the up and up ever since, but somehow Akatsuki has gotten a hold of it as well. Do you understand, Naruto?"

The blonde nodded, eyes still scanning the roads while he drove, but ears tuned into every detail Sasuke mentioned. It was all exciting and dangerous and all, but what was he—?

"I've never told anyone this before, and quite frankly, I was strictly ordered not to. But I guess...the least I can say is that I'm a secret agent hired to save you. I trained in Japan and other locations for the past year and a half, and this is my first high-risk mission."

Naruto gaped. Japan? No wonder his cell phone never picked up.

Sasuke continued, slightly relieved that his secret was off his chest. "Your life is in my hands, Naruto."

The blonde examined his face, taking in the dark, brooding eyes and his pale complexion. He had grown a few inches since the last time Naruto had seen him. He looked older, not just physically, but mentally as well. Naruto shook his head. Despite the bickering, taunts, and maybe even this life or death situation, he couldn't shake the feeling that he completely and totally trusted his life with Sasuke.

"What?" Sasuke inquired, noticed the small grin on his tanned face.

"Nothing, Sasuke. Where are we heading to now?"

"We're going to headquarters. I should probably warn you; Sai is not to be trusted."

"Who's Sai?"

"Nobody of consequence. Yet. Make sure you turn right up here—"

"I know how to turn, Sasuke-teme!"

"Really, now? I never would have guessed."

"Arrgh! You shut up, you stupid-faced agent boy!"

Sasuke smirked. It felt good to be back.

* * *

A/N: My lovely Sai will be making his grand entrance next chapter, as well as Sasuke's boss and some other peeps. Enough of this filler car-chasing. 

Anyhoo, I'll try to write out another chapter sometime this week. Let me know if you think Sasuke/Naruto/Anybody else's personality needs to change, and why. I just want to make sure they are as good as they can be (I always have my doubts).

c u l8r.

* * *


	4. You've Been Gone for Awhile

A/N: Aye aye aye! This week's been horrible. Little sleep; rude awakenings right in the middle of a nice and pleasant dream from my evil alarm clock; failing my Spanish quiz. It all sucks. But writing this didn't. (First good point of the week) I also scored 50/35 on my Science quiz. That was quite the achievement.

Thanks to **Kitt Moones **for this new idea/concept thing you sent upon my life. I've tweaked it maybe here and there, but it's pretty much the same thing. I feel like thanking you. This story might have crashed and burned if you didn't speak up. So, thanks. :)

**I don't own Naruto.**

**_Techie and the Agent_**

**Chapter Four**

You've Been Gone For Awhile

* * *

As they drove, Naruto happily pointed out random things about his life for the past year and a half after Sasuke agreed to take the wheel for a while. Even though Sasuke had _thought _he knew his friend since first grade, there was actually a lot more to him than he remembered.

He never knew Naruto was into computers, or anything technologically advanced. He never thought him to be the type to enjoy working with things smarter than himself.

But the blonde was surprising in many ways. He had upgraded from his old foster home to a small—but independent—apartment when Sasuke was gone. He knew what it felt like to be alone, and he was very proud of Naruto for managing to pull himself out of his childhood rut.

Sasuke pondered if maybe leaving the country for training was the right decision. _Nah_, he thought. _That's crazy. If I didn't, who would be here to protect Naruto?_

Sure, being raised in a hostile household for 7 years had taught him many things; besides the basics, his parents and tutors had mentally prepared him for the burden that was to be his future. Pretty much the whole clan of Uchiha had worked undercover in some sort of way, and the majority had served for Sarutobi, the previous head of Konoha.

Konoha's Elite were the best of the best, trained from birth to be skilled and professional. Sasuke was no exception.

But when his parents were cruelly murdered by his twisted brother, his world fell apart. His role models were gone, and all he had left was Naruto. Even after the killer of his loved ones abandoned the city to go who-knows-where, Naruto stuck by him.

After being taken in by a family friend, Kakashi Hatake, who also worked for Konoha, he swore to train to his best potential in order to exact revenge on his brother someday.

His hopes were high.

"Heeeyyy, are you even listening, Sasuke!?"

He blinked his eyes, feeling his previous train of thought leave him. "What?"

Naruto poked him in the arm. "...Could at least pay attention to me when I'm talking..." he grumbled.

Sasuke sighed. A road sign indicating 2 miles to County Road E caught his gaze, and he made the last few turns before pulling up in front of a large gate. Naruto's eyes widened.

"Ko...Konu...Konoh—"

"Konoha. We're here," said Sasuke. He leaned out the driver's window and held out a green card. Scanning it next to a large ATM-like machine, a female voice surrounded the car.

"Welcome back, Mr. Uchiha. Please enter through the gates. Have a nice day," it said, automatically opening the large towering gates, the sign on them reading 'KONOHA' was splitting in two to reveal the path.

* * *

"What do you mean, '_gone_'?"

Sasori bowed deeply. "What I mean is that the boy...Uzumaki, he, well, he somehow got away from our GPS system, and now we have no idea where he went," he finished quickly.

An auburn haired man with multiple piercings and tattoos faced the large open balcony. His expression was one of anger, and he radiated distaste towards Sasori.

"Very well. We won't give up. That brat's the icing on the cake, and we won't succeed without that file." He strode across the darkened room near the door. "Sasori, please take your leave. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning."

Sasori bowed again, quietly exiting.

As soon as he was gone, the authoritative man shut the door behind him, and made his way back to the balcony. A woman stood there, her hair vibrant blue, and a delicate indigo flower resting atop her head.

She did not smile. "Pein. Do you have any idea how serious this is?" She asked quietly.

Pein looked at her. "Yes, Konan. I do. But we musn't make any rash decisions. Sasori and his team failed me, and they will be punished."

Konan looked deep in thought for a moment. "Didn't young Tobi tell you that there was someone else with Uzumaki when he escaped?" She asked.

Pein nodded. "He did. Something about a boy who helped our target evade the GPS signals. Tobi also mentioned that the boy looked exactly like a younger version of Itachi. Probably his long-lost younger brother."

"That's not possible."

"Hmm? Why is that not possible?" Inquired Pein, resting his chin in his hands as he leaned over the railing overlooking the bustling city below. A slight pitter-patter of rain fell from the sky.

"When Itachi first joined 12 years ago, he told me that he had killed his entire family; seeking power and not being able to obtain it had led him to us. How could he have a brother?"

Pein shrugged. "It could also have been a mistake on Tobi's part. He has been known to appear...foolish."

The sound of knocking alerted them to a small servant's presence.

"P...Pein-sama, the prisoners...I've been informed to tell you to quiet them. They are d-disturbing the building," stuttered the meek man, his eyes at his feet.

Pein smiled, and turned to leave. "Thank you, #112. You are dismissed."

As the servant scampered away, Konan rested a hand on her comrade's shoulder. "Let me know if you need anything, Pein," she said softly.

Still smiling, Pein patted her arm affectionately. "Don't worry about me, 'Nan. These prisoners are nothing."

---

Step by step, he made his way down the long stairwell to the dark basement, where several moans and groans were echoing off the stone walls. The smell of blood filled his nostrils.

After walking by many cells, some empty and some quiet, he reached the source for all the noise.

"Ah, well, there's the little troublemaker. Would you mind being quiet for just a tad longer? I'm sure your misery will end soon enough."

There was a figure, barely distinguishable by the light of the small torches on the walls. It's mangled body rested in a heap on the ground, covered in grime, blood and sweat. It was barely discernible as a male, because of how small its size was.

The prisoner paused in his anguished cries, lifeless eyes turning to look at the new intruder.

Pein chuckled evilly. "My-my, you're getting so skinny! Who's been feeding you?" He mocked concern, eyes dancing in the lamplight.

"Oh, that's right. _Nobody_."

He laughed, heading back towards the stairs, assured that the prisoner would not be crying out for a long while.

After the sounds of footfalls stopped echoing in the smelly corridor, the body shakily lifted a pale hand to rub his forehead. Eyes that were once vibrant closed, and the hand dropped down by his side again. A shudder racked the small frame.

His crimson tattoo of 'Love' shone like a beacon of life that was nonexistent in the dark cell. He drifted off to sleep once more.

* * *

A/N: I feel bad about making Pein so evil. But I guess it's better than what I _could _do to his character. Heh.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Tell me what you think.

Strudel out.


	5. Change of Events

A/N: This chapter's freaky long. And it's not because of my long update period, for that was due to being lazy and reading too many good fanfictions. But I never liked this chapter, so my writing equals more words. Weird how that works, right?

I guess...I can get over it. I hope you enjoy this. I'm having issues with my plot, but I hope to clear it up soon enough.

**I don't own Naruto.**

**_Techie and the Agent_**

**Chapter Five**

Change of Events

* * *

The first thing Naruto noticed upon entering the lavish building was the enormous crystal chandelier. It's shiny jewels lit the room beautifully, and Naruto had a hard time taking his eyes off the wonder.

Next, he noticed the shiny marble flooring. He caught his reflection—mussed hair and a dazed expression; he looked like he just jumped off a skyscraper.

Taking in the rest of the room, it seemed to be the entrance hall, with many doors on both sides, and a grand staircase on the far end. His mouth gaped. He would be staying here?

A butler rushed to greet the duo. "May I graciously welcome you to Konoha's establishment, where you will find yourself amongst the bravest. You will be taken very good care of here. I do hope you weren't injured on your travels...?" Naruto shook his head. He wasn't used to the polite manner in which the man addressed him.

"No, we're fine," Sasuke put in.

"Is there anything you two need? I'm sure Mistress will be worried sick over you, but she's a tad busy at the moment. I can fetch you some tea, if you'd like?"

Naruto's stomach growled. "Can I have some ramen?" he asked.

The butler nodded, and was off.

Sasuke showed him to an empty room down the hall, shutting the door neatly behind them.

"Sit," he instructed. Naruto did.

"I have a lot to explain to you, Naruto. I do hope that mild case of ADD you had in school has left you by now," Sasuke said dryly.

Naruto rubbed his head. "Do I get to ask questions?"

"No."

He sighed, defeated. "Okay, fine. Carry on."

Sasuke rolled his neck and stretched his shoulders, now realizing how tense and nervous he was.

"As you already know, we're in Konoha's headquarters. We're completely untraceable and undetectable. Plus, our location has never been given away, so we're unknown, too. Which is good, considering our enemies tend to be very ruthless."

"Do you have a lot of enemies?" asked Naruto.

Sasuke glared, silently reprimanding the blonde on the 'no questions' rule, but it was halfhearted. "Some. We try not to make them on purpose, obviously, because then our lives are on the line more than they already were. Pleasant, isn't it?"

The butler arrived and exited quietly, depositing the large bowl of noodles in front of Naruto (who's face was shining with glee) and the tray of tea on the table. Naruto was finished in a matter of seconds.

"Anyway, I expect someone will send Boss down any min—"

The door banged open immediately after it had been closed, surprising Naruto enough to leap off his chair a few inches. Sasuke never stirred.

"Ah, Sasuke, good timing. I just finished up my meeting, and Shizune was hounding me about getting downstairs to talk to the receptionist to see if you had arrived. And what do you know? You're already here."

A busty blonde woman entered the room, emanating authority and commandment. She had striking amber eyes, and they were centered on Naruto's nervous face. A gentle smile graced her lips.

"You must be Naruto."

He nodded, glancing uncomfortably at Sasuke across the table.

"We got here about 5 minutes ago," Sasuke explained. The woman nodded.

Holding out her hand, she said, "My name is Tsunade, Naruto. I am the Boss here at Konoha headquarters. I'm in charge of Sasuke, as well as other agents. I guess you could say, I'm also in charge of you." She smiled brighter.

"Uh, nice to meet you..." Naruto mumbled.

"Now, then, let's see your room!"

----

"Well, do you like it?"

He could barely answer; his 'room' was more like a palace fit for a king.

Its walls were painted a deep gold, with regal blue, cream and orange accents. The mood was calm and serene, immediately relaxing Naruto's tense shoulders. A large queen-sized bed sat in the middle of the room, between two large bay windows. A master bathroom connected through a door to his left.

"It's...amazing! Am I really going to be staying here?" Naruto said enthusiastically. Tsunade nodded.

"You have a good view of our courtyard—which you have free access to—through those windows. A butler or maid will assist you if you ring this button here," she pointed to a small red button by the door, "And Sasuke can explain anything else you need to know. Now, I will see you in conference room 3 in 5 minutes, so we can meet with the rest of the establishment. They will be curious to meet you, Naruto."

Once she was gone, Naruto turned speechlessly to Sasuke, who raised an eyebrow in interest.

"What? Do you need me to explain something?" He asked.

"No...but thank you. This...this means a lot to me. You don't have to do this for me, but you are." Naruto smiled, his blue eyes shining, causing the brunette to look away.

"Yeah, well, it's sort of my duty—"

"Woah, is that a jacuzzi!?" Naruto rushed into the gleaming bathroom, Sasuke on his heels (although he was grateful for the distraction).

"Naruto, we're supposed to be in conference room 3. You can visit with your tub another time." He dragged the blonde out by his collar, ignoring his weak protests.

----

Eventually, they made it to the large area designed for meetings in the lower levels. A titanium door stood before them, and Sasuke quickly punched in a code into the keypad before Naruto could ask any questions.

The door opened up with a whoosh of air, and the lights were dimmed inside. Naruto could see a long table, where many people were seated. He gulped.

A warm hand gripped his own, tugging him along the dark room to the top of the table. Naruto tried to not make eye contact with the curious group of people, and instead focused on where Sasuke was leading him.

"Excuse me, Naie. Can we take these two seats?" Sasuke asked curtly. A man nodded his head, and scooted over to open up two empty seats near the head seat.

Soon enough, Tsunade came from a back door and sat herself in that very seat, smiling down the long table. She snapped her fingers, and a light switched on, illuminating the room with a brighter glow.

"Is everyone here? Good, good. How has everyone's afternoon gone so far?"

A mix of grumbles and varied responses rang throughout the room.

Tsunade sighed, shuffling a pile of papers that rested before her. "You guys are so boring," she mumbled.

"When are you going to introduce the new kid?" shouted a voice. Naruto sank lower in his seat.

"Patience is a virtue: something you need to learn!" Tsunade barked.

She turned a kind eye to the blonde. "Why don't you say your name—tell them a little bit about you?"

Naruto gulped again. This felt like the first day of Kindergarten, and introductions were never his thing. "H-hi, I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I don't really do well with strangers, but...I hope to become friends with all of you! I'm 19 years old, and I've known Sasuke since elementary school. I live by myself in an apartment, and I work at TechTeam near Downtown Avenue." He stared at his feet sheepishly, aware of all the pairs of eyes staring at him.

A person leapt off their chair, bowling the person next to him over, as he shouted, "Hello and welcome to Konoha Industries, Naruto! I am the ever faithful, Rock Lee! It is an honor to make your acquaintance!" His teeth gleamed brightly, as did his green jumpsuit.

Naruto smiled. "Hello, Lee!"

The person next to the green dressed man turned his chair back upright angrily, and glared silently at his companion. He spoke through gritted teeth, as if Lee had somehow shredded his last nerve. "Hello, Uzumaki-san. I'm Neji Hyuuga, and I hope you _enjoy_ yourself here." He sat stiffly in his chair, and smacked Lee over the head for good measure.

_I wonder if they have some sort of rivalry?_ Naruto thought.

Pushing that aside, he was introduced to the rest of the group, the men and women ranging in ages and appearances.

A particularly audacious young man stood up from his seat across the table, and Naruto could feel Sasuke tense beside him.

"Hi," he stuck out a pale hand, which Naruto shook gingerly. Many different emotions flowed from this person, making Naruto a little uneasy.

"I'm Sai. I'm sure Sasuke has warned you about me already, but pay no heed to him. I'm perfectly innocent," said the man, a smile pulling at his lips. Naruto eyed his mid-drift, which exposed a pale, taut stomach, and he had a hard time agreeing.

"Sure you are," Sasuke retorted darkly. Naruto chuckled at the harsh feelings of dislike flowing between the two brunettes. It made the remaining atmosphere that much lighter. "But I think it's time to get down to business, Tsunade-sama. We're wasting time."

The woman nodded, setting her papers aside to steeple her fingers in front of her. "Naruto is in need of training, as well as protection. If he is to roam from the grounds, he will no longer be in our care, and is a vulnerable and important target. Is this understood?"

Everyone nodded, their interests peaked at this change of events.

"If Akatsuki is to get hold of him, that would mean imminent danger and destruction. Are we all aware of 'Project Biju'? They have already obtained 8 of the 9 important files, and he is just the icing on the cake."

"Wait wait wait, hold on!" yelled Naruto, startling everyone in the room. "What is this 'Biju' thing? What has that got anything to do with me?"

After a few moments, she replied. "Biju is code for a set of 9 secret files kept in top-security databases. Each one has a specific name; the one they need is called 'Kyuubi'. By coincidence, or maybe something otherwise, you have managed to obtain the information in this file. Akatsuki have stolen the other 8, as I have said, and they will do anything to get the last one. This one is the most important, as well as the most potentially dangerous.

"You may not know it, but inside of you is the details to the greatest power you can achieve in this world. You are the key to their 'world domination', as they so call it."

Naruto gaped. His brain felt numb, like someone had put mufflers over every sense. He felt trapped inside his own head.

Did this make sense? No, not particularly. He felt confused, but it sort of connected with what Sasuke had told him before. It was still too weird to be true.

He shook his head. "Me? I'm just...I'm just the normal computer nerd who isn't anything special! How could all this important stuff happen to someone like me?" Naruto cried, hugging his knees up to his chest. Sasuke put a supporting hand on his shoulder.

Tsunade looked at him sympathetically. "I understand your dismay, but we need to look ahead of this and find the solution. We've been trying to find their hideout for years, and this may actually help us to eliminate them at last. You are our advantage now."

---

He smoothed the comforter on his bed for the 100th time, his thoughts swarming, threatening to burst from his head. Sasuke was perched on a leather armchair near the door, looking at him closely. It was late.

"Why do you think this happened to me?" Naruto asked abruptly.

After a moment, Sasuke spoke. "It's sort of mysterious. Maybe, it's your destiny to rid the world of all evil. Become a hero, of sorts. Life has a way of being an imprudent ass sometimes, but it's all for the greater good, isn't it?"

Naruto grinned cheekily. "Since when did you become so philosophical? Been hanging out with Neji?"

The raven rolled his eyes, sending a small round pillow hurtling toward the blonde's face. He barely caught it in time.

"You're going to need to work on your reflexes," Sasuke commented dryly.

Naruto stretched, looking out the windows towards the darkened sky one last time before hopping into bed, feeling warm and comfortable in his new linen pajamas. He yawned. Sasuke, not missing a beat, prepared to leave.

"If you need me, I'll be one floor below you. Ring a butler if you get lost. I think Tenten's room is somewhere on this level too...I'm not an expert on the floor plan." He stood, heading towards the door. "See you in the morning."

Before he left, Naruto shifted in his bed. "Hey, Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

"...Good night."

Sasuke turned off the light, gently closing the door behind him, but not before murmuring a quiet "good night" back.

* * *

A/N: -sigh- I'm thinking this story to be a short one, but don't expect these chapters to stay this long—they might, they might not. It was sort of by coincidence. It's not that I'm busy (on the contrary), but I don't like being rushed, and setting deadlines kind of sucks. This is why I'll never be a novelist. :P

I hope you enjoyed it. Leave a review.


	6. I Want You to Save Me

A/N: Has it been awhile? I suppose so. I've been juggling 3-day vacations nearly every weekend, too much homework for pointless subjects, and a bout of food poisoning from my school's sub-par café. Sincerest apologies to any readers who have been feeling down in the dumps because of my poor deadlines. I hope you're not too blue. Whoever you are. (Boy, they're _waaay _out there, aren't they?)

**I don't own Naruto.**

**_Techie and the Agent_**

**Chapter Six**

I Want You To Save Me

* * *

Naruto woke with a start. 

Rubbing his eyes, he took in his surroundings, coming to the conclusion that he wasn't in his apartment any longer.

In fact, he was in a very large, cozy bed, if he did say so himself.

Yawning, he headed to the large window beside his bed, eyes scanning the vast lawn and prim hedges. A water fountain sprinkled in the bright sunlight. Naruto promised to visit the courtyard later on in his stay.

A maid had left some spare bath salts and soaps near the jacuzzi. He bathed in the hot water leisurely, never before enjoying the feeling of getting ready for the day. He had all the time in the world, it seemed.

He slipped on the slightly too large clothing (_not orange_, he noted) that was also left for him, shaking his head at the dreary color scheme. It seemed everyone wore either black or blue in this place. His outfit was no exception.

He quietly creaked open his door, eyes adjusting to the dark hallway. Despite the dimness, he could make out several sets of doors leading towards the stairs. Tiny gold nameplates were set into the walls beside the doors, and he looked back to find his name there too. Uzumaki, Naruto, it read. He smiled; they were really prompt on these welcoming gifts.

As he walked, he whispered the names on each plate. Some he recognized from the meeting last night, others he didn't.

"Nami...Hitomi...Tenten..."

"Yeah?"

"ARRGH!" Naruto jumped when he felt a hand placed on his shoulder.

A girl around his age was standing behind him, smiling politely. Her deep brown hair was pulled into two buns, and she held many large scrolls on her back. She noticed his inquisitive stare, and she held out a hand.

"Hi, I'm Tenten. I don't think we met properly last night." Her hand felt rough with calluses. "Are you lost? The kitchens are just two floors down, I can show you the way."

She led him down a few flights of stairs before reaching the ground floor. While they walked, she chatted amiably about the institution. Naruto grew interested in the building's computer lab, where he could see himself spending long hours at. Computers were his forte, and always made him feel comfortable, no matter where he was.

They entered the kitchen, where many cooks and chefs bustled around, preparing good-smelling breakfast foods and fresh bread. After loading his plate with the breakfast necessities, Tenten sat down at a large circular table, amongst a group of teenagers who smiled back warmly. He felt slightly uneasy, but sat anyway.

A few people said a polite "hello", excepting one individual, who was bent over the table, snoring carelessly.

"Oi, Shikamaru, wake up!" chided a girl with platinum blond hair. He opened an eye lazily.

The group laughed, some rolled their eyes. Naruto took this as a sign that Shikamaru was normally always sleeping.

"Hey, aren't you one of those 'computer geeks', Naruto?" Tenten prodded. He shook his head affirmatively, and she leaned over the table towards Shikamaru. "Can you show him the computer lab later, Shika? I'm sure you two can giggle and squeal all over the new Processor while you're there," she joked.

"Do any of you guys know where Sasuke is?" Naruto asked after finishing his last bite of eggs.

"Sasuke? Isn't he in the library?" someone said. After a few other people agreed, Naruto stood from the table, intending to find his loner of a friend.

"See you guys around!" He left the lunch room, not knowing where he was going, but stubbornly ignoring to ask for directions. He would be here for awhile, why not learn his way around now?

It took him a few tries, but he eventually found what looked to be a quiet old library with hundreds of shelves filled with books of all sizes. A musty scent lingered in the stuffy air, urging him to find Sasuke as quickly as possible.

The library proved to be bigger than he imagined, and eventually, he settled on the fact that he was lost.

In a library. His pride would never forgive him.

"Hello? Is anyone in here?" he called solemnly. The silence enveloped his voice, causing him to shiver. Not expecting a reply, he climbed a ladder resting against one particularly tall bookcase. His shorter stature didn't help when looking for heads.

Scanning the room, he saw a faint glow of a lamp by the far wall, assuming it was Sasuke reading. He crept down and set off in that general direction.

Soon, he could hear papers shuffling and a pen scratching. He looked around the corner.

Sasuke sat at a large desk, his back to Naruto. Many books were stacked next to him, one was propped open, and he was writing words in a tattered notebook fervently. As if sensing someone was watching him, he spun around, surprise fading fast when he realized it was Naruto.

"Oh, hey. I was wondering when you would show up," he said. He discreetly shut the cover of his work, shoving the textbook under the stack.

"Is this where you hide all day long? You're going to die of sun un-exposure, you know," Naruto laughed. Sasuke glared back.

"I was going to ask if you wanted to go outside right now, actually." He stood from his chair, stretching his arms above his head.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Really? I can go outside? Man, I feel like I've been here forever!" He took off, miraculously finding his way out of the winding library and pausing at the doors. Sasuke caught up with him in a moment.

"No need to rush, idiot. The courtyard and training grounds are this way." He took a left, and soon the duo was out in the bright sunlight.

Great expanses of pine trees surrounded the green lawn, and a crystal water fountain sparkled in the center—the same one he had seen from his window. Naruto admired the flowers and plant life, and everything around him seemed to shine with happiness.

Sasuke smirked. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Shut up, teme."

They strolled past the gardens and through an archway, leading them to an open field with many tree stumps, dummies, and meditating persons. Nearly every one of them was bearing the same insignia on their clothes—a spiral shape with a protruding triangle. It looked like a demented snail that had fallen over and couldn't get up.

"Is this—?"

"The training grounds, yeah. Tsunade's forcing me to train you, with the help of Lee and Neji, so we'd better get started. She thinks we have a lead on a meeting point the Akatsuki are going to use in the future, so we have to prepare until then."

He plucked a metal object from the ground. "Do you know what this is?"

Naruto shrugged. "A dangerous pointy star?"

Sasuke groaned. "I see we have a lot to work on...this is a shuriken. You can throw them, and—if you practice enough—hit your target and inflict great damage." He set the star on his hand, and threw it at a nearby dummy. It struck the bulls eye dead-on. He grabbed another one from the ground (as it seemed, there were hundreds laying everywhere). "You try."

"Me? But..."

"Do it." Sasuke demonstrated how to hold it, and flung his arm out to simulate throwing an actual one. Naruto gulped.

The shuriken's shiny surface and sharp edges looked menacing—Would someone throw this at _him_?

_Might as well try_, he thought to himself.

He got into a stance, and threw the thing as best as he could. It landed a few feet beneath the bulls eye.

"Not bad," Sasuke said.

After about 20 minutes of trying and failing to hit even an inch of the red circle, Sasuke shoved something else in his hands. "This is a kunai. You can throw them too, as they drive deeper than any shuriken will. Being heavier, most people use them as a knife-sort of thing, to protect themselves from others. Try to block me with it."

Before he had time to think, Sasuke drove a fist into his side. He fell on the ground, all air knocked out of his chest.

Gasping, he croaked, "What did you do that for?"

The dark haired boy shrugged. "I knew you wouldn't lift that kunai if your life depended on it, so I wanted to show you at least some of the pain you might experience if you don't.

"This time, I'm going to use my kunai, and I expect you to block my attempt with your own. Otherwise, you'll find yourself on the ground again, but with a lot more blood."

This time, he slowed it down, giving Naruto a chance to block, although clumsily. Any progress was progress.

Over the next few hours, Naruto had progressed to blocking attacks from his whole front side. Sasuke announced a break.

"Phew, that's hard! My arms feel like lead." He flopped down on the grass, wiping his forehead with the back of his shirt sleeve. Sasuke copied his actions, running a hand through his dark hair.

"You'll need to work out and weight train every day from now on, to build up your arm muscles. I can tell you right now, tomorrow morning is going to be killer."

"Ugh, no fair!"

"Hn."

A person was walking in their direction, and Sasuke bristled. A few moments later, Naruto recognized it as Neji, who was carrying 2 bottles of water in his hands.

"I see you've successfully worn him out, Uchiha. Perfect for meditation. Care for some refreshment?" He handed them the water, which Naruto spilled down his front in his haste to drink it. Sasuke clucked his tongue.

"I thought I told you _I_ would be training him today, Hyuuga?" Sasuke said slowly. Naruto could sense a bit of anger in his tone. Was Sasuke angry at Neji?

The other boy merely blinked his large opaque eyes. "You must be mistaken. Tsunade instructed me to teach Naruto meditation to help block his mind and soul from outside enemies. I'm sure it will be more helpful than..._weapons_," he said distastefully.

Sasuke stood quickly, his fists clenched. "Why don't you go take your _meditation_ and shove it up your—"

"OKAY, time to go!" Naruto intervened smoothly, silencing Sasuke's threat with his hand. "We'll just be leaving, right Sasuke? I'll talk to you later, Neji. I'm hungry, let's go have lunch!" He dragged an unwilling brunette behind him, feeling death glares pierce his back as sharply as a thousand kunais.

----

Sasuke stared out the window grumpily, absentmindedly stirring his soup so much it splashed out the sides of the bowl.

Naruto happily ate his grilled cheese, although he couldn't help but wonder... "Why do you hate Neji so much?"

Sasuke's dark eyes turned from the window to stare into Naruto's blue ones. After a minute's silence, he looked away. "We have a...rivalry." His spoon stirred faster.

Naruto snorted. "You think? I have rivals too, but not like that. What happened to make you so bitter towards each other?"

"I don't want to talk about it." A light foam was forming over the side of his soup bowl, the contents inside a whirlpool of broth.

"Hm, okay, then—"

"He had NO right to intervene our training session! Didn't he see that meditation is far inferior to actual physical training? There is plenty of time for all of that mind-crap later, but he just had to be a nosy impudent ass and barge right in whenever he felt necessary!"

"Sasuke!"

"What?"

Naruto pointed to the remnants of Sasuke's lunch. "I do believe your soup is history. Want me to get you a new one?" Sasuke nodded, pushing the dish towards the blonde distractedly.

A shrill beeping noise filled the silence before Naruto could leave. He located the source of the nuisance in his left jean pocket before it could transcend into its second chorus (to the tune of Eye of the Tiger, no less).

It was his cell phone, having been switched into his new clothes from his old ones by an unknown angel. Or at least, that's what Naruto would have called them—his cell phone was his only connection to the normal world, and he couldn't believe he had forgotten about it so easily.

Flipping it open, a screen instantly popped up, indicating a new text message. The sender's number was unknown.

He read it aloud. "'_Tell Tsunade I am alive. The 1st Biju file still exists_.' What does that mean?"

Sasuke stared back quizzically. "Let me see it."

Sasuke read the message, that eventually proving to be no more useful than the first time it was read. The sender had mysteriously left out their name. Puzzled, Naruto slipped the device back into his pocket.

Sasuke's eyes hardened as his gaze swept the grounds outside the window. "I would report that to Tsunade...she would know what to do. After all, the message was directed to her."

Naruto agreed. A bad feeling was lingering in his mind, the message's words still flashing just behind his eyes.

* * *

He flipped the phone closed, setting it down on the table gingerly. The sleeping guard barely bat an eyelash. 

He summoned all his self control not to make a sound as he crept around the corner. The hallway was dark, and if he dare breathe harder than necessary...he didn't want to think of what could happen.

Nevertheless, his parched lips spread in a grin. Trust a foolish girl to let him out for the _bathroom_...She would have surely been punished, had he not knocked her out first. He didn't care either way; he was just relieved that part of his plan was working smoothly.

He took the steps leading down to the dungeons one by one, eyes searching the semidarkness like a cat hunting for mice. His ears perked at the sound of snores—it was only the girl.

The boy stepped over her, walking into his own cell, back into his own death trap. He had calmly asked her when she was sent to check on him to bring some better food to his cell, not the scummy sludge that Pein insisted all prisoners eat. She had been hesitant, but his charm—even as a malnourished skeleton of what he once was—persuaded her otherwise. _People who were weak of mind should not be in charge of things such as guarding a prisoner_, he thought sourly.

He shut the barred door, wincing as the hinges creaked ever so slightly. The female guard would wake up in an hour or so, find herself laying on the floor, and himself asleep, safe and sound in his cell. She would quickly secure the door, and leave. She would never remember their conversation, and that was all that mattered.

His text message was sent, and now all he could do was wait.

* * *

A/N: I'm going to try even harder to keep up a weekly updating regime, just for the sake of having a conscious. But it would make it easier if I got some incentive to write faster—a nice review or comment would be appreciated. Very much so. 

Is that snail thing (which is supposed to be the Leaf symbol, if you didn't get it) from Naruto: Abridged? I wasn't sure...It _does _look like a snail...a very odd one.

Ciao.


	7. Enduring the Pain

A/N: Welcome back. I know I've been gone a long time, but blame it on trying to write ahead! I did manage to get farther than I thought...in any case, I've been sick with strep last weekend, and I also had a play to perform on Friday, so it's been hectic. Also, this chapter's a bit shorter than the last two, but I'm sure you'll manage. I wanted to get this out before I fell into a depression: We all know how those are! (jk, jk, etc.)

I don't own Naruto.

Techie and the Agent

Chapter Seven

Enduring The Pain

* * *

"No, no, you're not doing it right! It's pointer-ring, not pointer-pinky!" 

Naruto stuck out his tongue as he attempted it again.

"How can you not _possibly _be able to do this? It's easy, watch," —Neji demonstrated the proper finger formation— "this helps the chakras flow easier, and is the accurate way to achieve pure meditation."

Rolling his eyes, Naruto attempted to try the move once more. His pointer finger couldn't connect with his ring finger properly, and he had no idea why. Neji seemed to be on his last nerve.

They had been out in the friendly July sun for a few weeks now, each day held new words of wisdom and techniques to practice on from Neji. Naruto found he greatly enjoyed these sessions; when he managed to uncover some small piece of the "chakras", as Neji called them, an indescribable peace flowed throughout his body. He made it his duty to practice meditation, if only to feel that at ease all the time.

Neji made it look easy—he'd enter his "happy place" (a nickname that caused many a bruise to form on the blonde's head) in about 2 seconds, and could stay there for hours. Naruto had trouble staying concentrated for little more than a minute.

"You need to relax," Neji would say. It was hard to relax, what with all the new goings-on happening everywhere. Just last Monday, Shikamaru and his team had a B-rank mission gathering information from a computer database in San Antonio. A digital mini-camera was taken along, and Naruto got to "assist" them through satellite. Now, he couldn't wait until he finally got his own mission.

Sasuke had been teaching the techie both physical and mental training. He claimed that Naruto needed it for many important reasons, but all said man could think of was for Sasuke's own sadistic purposes. His biceps still ached with every move.

Naruto had yet to tell Tsunade about the text message; him being too caught up, and she being too busy. A leak to Konoha's location had driven her to many all-nighters, making hundreds of calls and sending many agents out into the night to reassure the safety of the organization. Naruto didn't feel it very respectful to her authority to intrude on her personal issues, so he had asked the receptionist if she could schedule him in with a meeting.

"Oh, don't be silly, Naruto," chided Ino, a girl his age with flowing platinum blond hair and bright blue eyes. She was on Shikamaru's team, and her outgoing personality had allowed Naruto to grow close to her in a short amount of time. "If you go on up to her office, I'm sure she'd let you right in. She isn't a _celebrity._"

The group—consisting of Naruto, Ino, Sasuke, Neji (which thoroughly outraged Sasuke, although only internally, Naruto could tell), Lee, Shikamaru and Tenten—lounged in the gathering area, the large flat screen TV on the wall in front of them blaring a random music video.

Naruto stretched back against a beanie chair while sitting on the floor. "You probably know more than me, that's for sure. Should I go right now?" he asked.

"I'll go with you," Sasuke offered. The two set off.

---

He knocked on the door twice, waiting patiently. After receiving no reply, Sasuke went ahead and pushed open the door.

They were greeted with a desk, bookshelves, windows, and a sleeping President.

"Tsunade..." Sasuke said, slapping her lightly on the cheek. No response. He tried again.

She shifted, turning her head over and exposing a trail of drool. They grimaced.

"Oi, Tsunade, wake up!"

She sat up, bleary eyes blinking rapidly to adjust to the light. "Whaddayawan'?" she grumbled.

Sasuke handed her a tissue, which she used to wipe her face. "Oh, was I sleeping again? Woopsie."

She caught sight of Naruto, who was looking around at her massive collection of novels. "Ah, Naruto. What is it that you want?"

He handed her his cell phone after bringing up the message. "I got this a few weeks ago...I meant to tell you, but I guess I forgot...sorry...The message said to tell you, so—"

"Sasuke." Tsunade's eyes held a hard look. "Find Kakashi, and tell him to come here at once. You two are dismissed. Naruto, can I keep this?" She waved the phone.

"Oh, um, of course!" he said. She smiled, but it was hollow. He had a gut feeling that she probably wouldn't have needed to ask him, had she wanted the phone anyway.

Once outside the door, Sasuke took off down a flight of stairs, running so fast that Naruto had to jog to keep him in sight. At least the endurance training regime he had been put under had helped him stay standing.

"Sasuke, wait up!"

He was alone. Looking around, he pondered which way his friend might have went.

Moments later, Sasuke appeared at his left, bringing along another man.

This guy was curious. His hair caught your attention like a beacon, with its silvery shade and upright, gravity-defying style. Half of his face was masked, and a cloth covered his left eye. His visible one looked bored.

"...Tsunade said she needs you immediately, so get up there!" Sasuke was saying.

He scratched his chin, while looking at Naruto. "Right now? But I was busy reading—"

"NOW!" The man named Kakashi shrugged, the Uchiha's death glare wasted on his uncaring form. He managed a seal with his hands (one that Naruto recognized from day 7 with Neji), and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Woah!" said Naruto, scanning the area for the man. "Where'd he go?" He was surprised that someone could use seals to teleport; he would_definitely _need to ask Neji about that.

"To see Tsunade, idiot. C'mon, let's follow them."

With his ear pressed against the door beside Sasuke's, they listened quietly to the conversation taking place within Tsunade's office. It sounded grave.

"...supposed to do? He disappeared a year ago, everyone assumed..."

"It means there are still 2 files of 'Biju' left, Hatake! That means we have more time than expected, which is potentially good, but it also means the boy needs to be rescued..."

"Sounds like they know who it is," Naruto whispered. Sasuke nodded.

"So...'Biju' has 9 files, and they thought there was only one left," Naruto whispered again, looking down. "But there is another person out there, the person who sent the text message, who is being held but hasn't died yet. If we save him, then..."

"We can possibly save the world," Sasuke finished for him.

The new information boggled his mind. Like everything that had happened since that day he was rescued, he found himself feeling stupider and stupider with each passing week. Where had his 3.9 GPA smarts gone? Where did his pride go? Where did _Naruto as he knew himself _go?

He clenched his hair angrily, seeing if pain could distract his buzzing thoughts.

The so-called "meeting" with an Akatsuki spy was only a few weeks away, and if things worked out correctly, they would be able to gather information on their location. Akatsuki and Konoha were enemies 'til the grave, and both had no problem exterminating the other. Even the concept of killing another human being haunted Naruto's imagination.

A warm hand reached up to take his own, pulling it from his hair and resting it on Sasuke's forehead in a caring manner.

"Stop," the brunette said simply. Naruto's ears reddened; he wasn't aware of how distracted he had become.

The conversation in the room appeared finished, so the two stood up and waited on the opposite wall for Tsunade and Kakashi to exit.

"Were you two eavesdropping?" the blond woman said inquisitorially, seizing them up and making Naruto sweat.

"No, we weren't. Just waiting for you two to stop blabbing," said Sasuke.

She snorted. "I'm sure." She then handed them a manila folder. "These are the only details we can tell you. Kakashi's gone to alert the rest of his team and the council, so that leaves you two. I want neither of you to reveal the information to anyone, understood? Unless I say so, you are not to speak of anything other than the mission in 2 weeks' time."

Naruto nodded meekly. _Was it that top-secret? _He wondered.

The atmosphere as they walked from the hall felt like a growing sense of insecurity. With each step, Naruto could almost feel a pressure, one like no other he had felt, settling in his stomach. It churned and swirled like butterflies, except this was no high school prom, or first day of kindergarten; this was the real deal.

In 14 days, he might be traveling the globe, looking for answers or clues that might not even be there. He might be kidnapped, or killed. Nothing was certain anymore, and Naruto didn't like it.

Sasuke seemed to sense the nervousness radiating from the person beside him, catching Naruto's eye, and frowned.

"What's up?" he asked calmly. Naruto shook his head.

"Nervous?"

"A little. Sasuke, what was your first mission like?" Sasuke seemed to gaze at something in front of him that wasn't there for a few seconds before replying.

"It was...interesting. I was nearly killed by a suicidal maniac who held me at gun point, but my team member took him out before he could do anything. It was a little nerve-racking, of course, I was only 14 at the time."

"You were only _14_?" Naruto said in awe. "How long have you been an agent?! Why didn't you ever _tell _me any of this stuff?!" Sasuke shrugged.

"There was no reason to, I guess. My whole family has practically been raised in the CIA for centuries—one of the rare ones to do so. It's not a safe world, and any agent who wants to live happily normally chooses to stay single. But my father," he paused, his voice cracking slightly at the end. "He decided to build mine and my brother's lives around this community."

Naruto looked skeptical. "He must have been one heck of a crackpot."

It wasn't common knowledge that Sasuke lived alone—most people assumed he lived in a large mansion with 15 cars and a movie star Mom and Dad . Which, technically, he did have, except he had no parents.

Their deaths were a mystery, as well as the deaths of everyone else that lived in the Uchiha neighborhood (named after the founder of the police force 120 years prior). It consisted of mainly Uchihas, but one night, all were found dead where they lie.

Sasuke never talked much about the massacre. It was all over the news for years, taking place when Naruto and Sasuke were 7. Ever since, the remaining Uchiha and his brother Itachi were shifted from household to household, foster parents always commenting on how _creepy _the eldest son behaved. Sasuke never said a word about it to anyone but Naruto.

They had met in elementary school, that much was commonly known. The duo had become practically legendary, and there wasn't a soul who could tear them apart. They were like fire and ice; No one could explain why Sasuke put up with Naruto, and vice-versa.

Naruto had often found it strange that Sasuke would disappear for days on end, only to return with numerous small injuries and an even more dedicated attitude. Naruto had thought it was his foster parents that were abusing him, but now he could see it was his training to become stronger that sent him away to Konoha's Institution and caused him harm.

Only a few years ago, Itachi had suddenly vanished from the face of the earth. Sasuke had said he had probably went out looking for his family's revenge, but Naruto could tell Sasuke was lying. Sasuke had his secrets, and as much as the blonde hated to admit it, he so desperately wanted to find out what they were.

* * *

A/N: This chapter bugged me. But whatever. I feel a lot better now that I've posted it. Next chapter, the action really starts. If you have any questions, just ask me. I sometimes confuse even myself, so it would make sense that somebody has questions. 

Next update: Whenever I feel like it. Maybe Monday.

Adios, amigos.


	8. I Can't Protect Everyone

A/N: By far being the longest chapter I've ever written, I present you chapter 8. Yes, I know, later than I said I would post it, but I had to change some things before posting and I never got a chance to last night. Call me a procrastinator, but that's who I am. There's also this annoying glitch that keeps me from adding bold/italic/underline changes to my documents that's been irritating the crap out of me. You could say I'm not very happy.

I don't own Naruto.

_**Techie and the Agent**_

**Chapter Eight**

I Can't Protect Everyone

* * *

It was on a beautiful summer day, no clouds in sight and a warm breeze blowing, that Naruto was forced to wear black. 

He grimaced in the mirror, eyes roaming his ungodly-tight pants and sweater with distaste. They were going undercover, which made sense, but Naruto was never one to appreciate the color black under _any_ circumstances. Unless it was on Sasuke: then he could manage.

He sighed, combing his hair in an attempt to smooth it for the hundredth time before giving up. It was always going to be untamed, it seemed.

Sai poked his head into the doorway of Naruto's bathroom, eyes curved upwards in a smile that took a trained eye to see through.

"Ready to go, sweet pea?" he asked, eyes running the length of Naruto's body with something equal to hunger. Naruto felt his face grow hot._ Must he _always _do that_?

"Yeah, yeah, just checking to see if I gained any weight," Naruto retorted, grabbing his also-black duffel bag and exiting the room. Sai followed.

Naruto checked his _black _watch. "When are we leaving again?"

"11:00," supplied Sai, who was dressed all in black too (although he had chosen a much more...interesting approach—his shirt ended at his navel, exposing his abdomen).

After the two had loaded their things into one of the (thankfully) dark green cars, another group of people began heading their way. The sun beat down nicely on their backs, a friendly gesture during a not-so friendly time.

Kakashi pulled out the keys to the SUV, doing a headcount on the group.

"Are we all here? Good. I'm going to say a few words, and I want you all to listen closely, understood?"

Naruto nodded. To his left were Sasuke, Sai, Neji, and Shikamaru. The five teenagers plus Kakashi were to investigate the location where a spy would be, and gather information on Akatsuki's whereabouts. It was a high-risk mission, one that couldn't be messed up.

Kakashi cleared his throat. "The spy we are going to meet goes by the codename 'Kabuto.' He has previously apprenticed under Orochimaru, as well as the Akatsuki, but now we have evidence to suggest that he is working for himself. It's very risky, putting ourselves in danger like this just for information, which is why Shikamaru here will navigate us through it.

"In any case, should one of you be injured, kidnapped, or killed, this mission will still go on, no matter what. Our code as agents isn't to let emotions override our duties. Naruto is an inexperienced newbie," —Naruto glared indignantly in Kakashi's direction— "and our priority is to keep him safe on this mission. Sasuke and Neji have trained him well, but he is nowhere near intelligent enough in this field to fend for himself...no offense, Naruto,"

"None taken," he grumbled.

"So let's get this straight," Sai drawled. "We want to keep him safe, but also put him in danger? That doesn't make any sense."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Hn, you're forgetting just what makes Naruto special."

Sai's eyes opened a bit wider. "And what's that?"

This made Sasuke smirk, and made Naruto feel both immeasurably pleased and unimaginably nervous. "He's our secret weapon. And," he added, throwing Naruto a sly look, "he's the only one who can pull off a dress."

They drove off.

----

A rustle, and then two figures appeared out of the brush amidst a large forest. They walked on the forest floor hurriedly, occasionally checking over their shoulders as if someone was following them.

The smaller of the two leaned towards the other. "Are you sure we're going the right way?" they whispered.

The larger one grunted, reaching for a map in their pocket. "It says it's in the north...we should be close..."

"Yeah, right," snorted the other, presumably a female, "because you just say that about every 5 miles since we left."

"Not my problem, since I failed every Geography test in high school," said the second person, a male.

They continued on their journey, bickering quietly while still on their guard. They had a goal, and it lay somewhere within a secret headquarters...

----

"I_ can't _believe I have to wear this!"

He thrust the pink frilly object into Sasuke's face. "There is NO WAY!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow elegantly, keen on making Naruto wear the dress if it was the last thing he did. "You have to, dobe. If you want to get yourself killed, then fine, don't wear it. This is your only chance of survival."

Naruto narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "And how do I know this isn't a trap?"

Rolling his own eyes, the dark haired boy exited the dressing room, throwing a pair of heels and a quick "don't forget the make-up" over his shoulder.

Naruto fumed. _How am I supposed to even _wear _this_? He thought angrily. The lacy stuffed bra winked back in what looked like sadistic glee.

----

He fiddled with the strap. And messed with it some more. And officially decided he hated cross-dressing.

He looked himself over in the floor-length mirror, grimacing at every curve and every inch of skin the pinkish knee-length short-sleeved un-_Godly _dress exposed and accentuated. Sure, to him, he looked pretty hot for a guy in girl's clothes, but it still horrified him to think he'd have to walk around the _city _and in front of his _friends _and—oh, _God_—_SASUKE_—in this outfit.

He nearly killed himself.

The blush and mascara he had applied felt foreign on his skin, as did the weird hair gunk he had to put in to make his hair more tamable, and, as Kakashi called it, more girly. It was still weird, however.

Kabuto wasn't a man to be trusted, and he still didn't know that Shikamaru, Sai, Sasuke, Neji, and Naruto were actually undercover agents backing up their leader, Kakashi. The only information he should have was that Kakashi needed whereabouts of the Akatsuki.

How the dress played into all of this, Naruto was still unsure. A disguise consisting of maybe…a wig, some contacts and a new name would have sufficed, but no. Good old Kakashi insisted on making him female, so if the group of teens were ever discovered, he/she would be completely unknown and unrecognized (should the need arise). They were prepared for everything.

He reached for the door to exit the bathroom of the hotel they were renting, meeting Neji face-to-face just outside.

Neji raised an eyebrow. "I won't even ask."

"Good, because I was right about to punch you," grumbled Naruto. Neji chuckled lightly; stepping into the bathroom the blonde had just departed.

"Good, are we ready to go?" Kakashi asked his team. He received a few noncommittal responses before starting the engine.

"I assume you all have your weapons stored safely and securely, correct?"

"Yes, Kakashi," they droned in unison, although a few checked their pockets hurriedly, just in case.

As they drove, Kakashi went over their procedures and time limits for when they infiltrated the warehouse Kabuto was meeting them at. Neji was to take the north entrance, Shikamaru and Sai the east and west, respectively. Sasuke and Naruto would come in from the south, after Kakashi, who would obviously be doing the talking and negotiating inside the building.

Leaving the car in a nearby alleyway, they crept into position under the cover of nightfall. It was nearing 10:00 pm, so it would be perfect for their plan.

Small radios were placed on everyone's ear, and each person muttered an affirmative once they were in position. Naruto stuck close to Sasuke as they crouched near a large loading door on the south side of the building.

His hands shook considerably, and he felt butterflies in his stomach.

Sasuke readjusted his headset on his ear and the receiver on his waist, running a hand quickly over the top of a kunai just visible beneath his coat in a motion of habit.

"Remember, if they catch us, your name is _Isabelle Tannings_, okay?" he whispered.

"Yeah, yeah, I know!" he retorted under his breath.

They waited for what seemed like forever, before they heard Kakashi's low voice sound in their ears. Naruto gasped.

"Kabuto."

A small patch of fabric along the underside of his jacket sleeve provided the microphone, strategically placed so that if he were searched for wires, there wouldn't be anything to find. It picked up every word of the conversation, loud and clear.

"So you are here. I was starting to think you wouldn't show, Hatake."

The new person, Kabuto, talked like he knew something they didn't. His haughty tone quickly got on Naruto's nerves, but it was the quiet assurance in his voice that really got to him. He was professional, confident, and brave.

"Well," said Kakashi, "I ran into traffic, and some things held me up back home, but this information is very crucial and I wouldn't pass up the chance for the world."

This made Kabuto pause, before his icy voice came back through the receivers once more. "Are you alone?"

"Yes," Kakashi answered firmly.

A few moments of silence, and then, "I don't believe you, Hatake. You aren't one to take such huge risks like that."

A short, almost inaudible gasp issued through the earpieces, and that in turn was enough for Naruto's blood to run cold. Next to him, Sasuke had turned an even paler shade as he crouched behind some large crates.

"You must be mistaken, Kabuto," Kakashi was saying, his unwavering voice trained so perfectly to stay calm wasn't portraying his inner turmoil whatsoever. "I only wanted the information, nothing more, so what purpose would I have to bring more than myself?"

"You're afraid of me, Kakashi. You fear what I can do. And because of that, you do not trust me." His voice became louder and louder still, until he sounded like he was right next to the group's leader.

"You're wrong, Kabuto."

"Am I?" he asked in a playful tone. "Search him."

Immediately, a loud bang issued throughout the warehouse and carried outside where Sasuke and Naruto could hear it. They coughed and shielded their eyes as smoke billowed out from the building. Sasuke tugged at his dress sleeve and Naruto hurried to run away in his heels. They crept along the other side of the building, heading in Shikamaru's direction, but he was nowhere to be found.

Naruto felt lost, incapacitated, especially in his dress that made him feel like a fool. They paused and leaned back against the wall as Sasuke attempted to radio in another one of the group.

"Neji, come in, Neji!"

Static only responded, and Naruto assumed the wires were cut when Kakashi was attacked. Millions of ideas flowed through his head as Sasuke tried unsuccessfully to get the radio to work.

"Here, let me try," Naruto said gently. He took the radio from Sasuke's hands and used a shuriken from his pocket to lift open the latch on the back of the radio receiver.

He set to work, repairing the wires inside as they were trying to connect to Kakashi's radio, when they should have switched over to someone else's. Sasuke watched in amazement as the radio was fixed.

Naruto radioed in on Sai. "Sai, do you read me? Are you there? Hello?"

A quiet rasp issued from the speaker, then a cough, and then some rough shouts. It seemed Sai was not wearing the earpiece any longer.

"We have to get out of here," Sasuke said urgently.

A large pair of hands suddenly seized Naruto around the neck, lifting him off the ground and holding him there. He gagged as his trachea was crushed beneath the strength of the man.

He was speaking, his voice gravelly and harsh. "Come with me, or your little girlfriend gets it," he was saying, squeezing Naruto's neck a little tighter for emphasis. Sasuke was standing now, saying something, but Naruto couldn't hear.

A pounding was filling his head, and his sight swam in and out of focus. He was vaguely aware of Sasuke launching something sharp at the man, who roared and attacked of his own accord. A few moments later, Naruto hit the earth hard, all breath knocked clean out of his chest.

Coughing, he got to his feet warily, feeling a bruise forming where the hand had held him. Sasuke was fighting the man, forming seals and creating large fire balls to send at him…wait….fire balls…_Can Sasuke even _do _that_?

"Isabelle, this way!" said a familiar voice in his ear. Turning, he saw Neji beckoning towards an alleyway opposite the warehouse. He stumbled forward, throwing off his heels in the process.

"I don't want to leave Sasuke—!"

"It's_ you _they're after!" Neji retorted, practically carrying him away from the fighting scene behind them. "Sasuke can handle himself, but Kabuto suspected Kakashi was lying and armed so he attacked. I think he's alright, but Kabuto's goons are attacking all 4 entrances where we were stationed.

"I managed to escape and knock out the guy chasing me, and last time I checked Sai was fighting two guys on the west side. I don't think Kabuto knows you're here, Naruto, but as far as he does know, Kakashi brought 5 kids along with him, and you would be as good as dead if he found us. That's why we're escaping."

Naruto's head throbbed, and he felt sick. "Neji, what about the mission? How are we supposed to get information now?"

Neji shook his head, his long hair shimmering. "I'm not sure we can…"

They hid inside an old garage, having jogged nearly 5 blocks from the scene. Neither one had the strength to go on to the hotel room, so they sat down and stayed quiet, ears tuned for any voices.

"I've read about those guys," Neji said quietly. "They're called 'Sound 5' and are very formidable. I was lucky to have escaped so easily. The guy I was fighting was Kidoumaru, and the one Sasuke was fighting was Jirobou. Shikamaru and Sai were fighting Tayuya and Sakon, I guess. That Kabuto…" he trailed off, his tone turning sour.

"I should have known he wasn't on our side. I mean—I believe Akatsuki dumped him long ago—but to remain in limbo? Surely, he's working for the Sound now, which means he's working for—"

"Talking about me, are you? I'm flattered."

Neji gasped, eyes roaming the dark room for the source of the sound. Naruto grasped a kunai tightly.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

A figure emerged from a shadow, illuminated by the moonlight. It was Kabuto.

"You! How—?"

He laughed, sending shivers down Naruto's spine. "You thought I was fighting Kakashi? That wasn't me, merely a clone. Your precious_ sensei _isn't dead, if that's what you're thinking. I've merely distracted him from protecting his students."

Kabuto switched on a light, casting deep shadowed lines over everyone's faces. Neji and Naruto stood up, facing Kabuto like mice in front of a cat.

"I won't hurt you," said Kabuto, "I just want to know your name."

His eyes glinted behind his spectacles, flashing in Naruto's direction, as if he knew who he really was. "Is this your newest member? She doesn't look like much."

"Well she is!" snarled Neji.

Kabuto chuckled again, and he stepped closer to the duo. "I'm sure…"

"Stay back! I'm warning you!"

This didn't deter the silver-haired man, who walked ever closer. "I've sent my minions to dispose of your friends, although it looks like two of them failed. I will see to it that they are punished."

A battle cry echoed throughout the garage, although it was not from Neji or Naruto.

A blur rushed past, sending a massive blow into Kabuto's side. He doubled backwards, flying into some barrels of gasoline.

Sasuke stood over Kabuto's body, a kunai in hand and a malicious intent on his face. Sai also appeared, and he crouched in front of Naruto and Neji, his dark eyes observing every detail of the situation.

Kabuto stirred, and stood up, rubbing the sore spot on his stomach. He coughed, a trickle of blood leaving his lips. "Hmph. More kids," he muttered.

He caught sight of Sasuke's face, and a grin settled on his own. "You're Itachi Uchiha's brother, aren't you?"

Sasuke glared. "None of your concern, _Kabuto_."

"Orochimaru-sama will be very interested to hear about you, Sasuke-kun. I'll let him know I met you," his eyes found Naruto again.

One word, spoken by Neji and as quiet as could be, resounded in Naruto's head for little more than a millisecond: Run.

Just as his feet started to move, an enormous explosion roared into life, sending him through a window along with Neji and Sai. Fire burst out of the garage, and they could barely duck in time to avoid the inferno. Heat was everywhere, and his body screamed in pain as glass littered down onto his back. Neji's hand shoved his head into the ground as far as it could go as the fire barely grazed their hair.

After what seemed like hours, it died down, although the heat did not. Naruto raised his head and stared, horrified, at the burning building they were just in.

"SASUKE!"

----

"Is this it?"

"Yeah, I think so. It looks empty."

The woman sat down on the rough ground amongst the foliage, allowing her brother to do the same.

"I guess we should just…wait. Maybe someone will come over here and lead us inside."

The pair watched as the fading sun sank beneath the horizon, listening to the wildlife slowly fade into an eerie murmur behind them in the forest. The large building in front of them stood out amongst the clearing, with its many turrets and tunnels foretelling the secrets that lay within its walls.

The man took a deep breath. "We're coming for you, Gaara," he muttered to himself. "Soon…you'll be out of there soon…"

They dozed off into a fitful sleep.

----

"SASUKE!" Naruto called again, leaping onto his feet and gaping at the burning building. He looked around frantically in the dark space for his raven-haired friend, but there was no sign of him.

"Naruto—" Neji began, but was interrupted by a moan coming from about 20 feet away. Naruto's ears perked at the sound, and he immediately rushed over.

A pile of rubble shifted slightly, and Naruto hastily helped overturn the chunks of wood and debris covering whatever was under it.

He removed a heavy metal bar, revealing a dark object that shifted and became known as Sasuke.

He had a large bruise under his left eye, as well as some scratches and a few burn marks. He stretched his arms above his head, and after hearing a satisfying _pop_, he stood up from the ground.

Naruto hugged him quickly, not wanting to damage him further. "Are you alright?!" he cried worriedly. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Did you actually think I would die in there, Naruto? Idiot…" but he was grinning, so Naruto brushed it off.

With the horrible images of Sasuke dead, twisted, and mangled in blood receding from his mind now that his friend was good and well, he headed back over to the other two teammates. They were talking quietly to each other.

"Hey, what're you talking about?" Naruto asked curiously.

They glanced at him with guarded eyes. "We think there might be something here other than us. Kabuto's gone, but…"

Naruto felt a whoosh of cold air hit his face before being thrown backward. Stunned, he couldn't move as a figure hoisted him into the air.

He heard a shout behind him, and felt the shock of somebody dropkicking the person holding him in the side. He was released harshly, landing on his ankle at a weird angle. It burst open in pain, sending him screaming and clutching at his injured joint.

As the main waves of agony washed away, he peered behind him and gasped in shock: Sai was battling the figure, his scroll open and releasing giant lions and dragons made of ink, all floating around in the air and attacking the man. He easily dodged them, and what looked like snakes suddenly shot out from his hands. Sai sliced them apart with his short katana.

Then he saw Neji, holding his own against a clone of the man, using his deceptive moves and chakra abilities to dispose of the doppelganger.

Then he saw Sasuke, lifting him to his feet but supporting his injured side, leading him away as hurriedly as possible. He didn't need to ask where they were going; anywhere was better than here. He just hoped his friends wouldn't be injured because of him…

Naruto knew the Konoha agents had put a lot on the line for his safety, and he couldn't bear the guilt of knowing they were getting hurt for him. Kabuto was a traitor, and Sasuke had thrown himself in front of him to protect him, nearly getting himself blown up in the process.

Naruto stumbled on a pipe on the ground in his haste to keep up with Sasuke, and then he was falling…falling…

Cold hands grasped his arms as he was caught from hitting the ground. His ankle seared in pain again, and he saw the face of the man his friends were fighting back by the burning building—it seemed both of Sai and Neji's enemies were clones.

He opened his mouth to cry out, but a cloth was stuffed inside instead. He felt his arms being bound as well.

"MMPH!" he screamed, but it was no use.

The man chuckled, his ghostly pale skin gleaming. It was horrifying.

"Naruto!" Sasuke's voice yelled, and he heard a grunt as the pale guy holding him blocked his friend's attacks.

Naruto was tossed aside carelessly to the ground, once again having his screams muffled as his ankle twisted.

Sasuke's eyes widened at the state of his comrade, and a flicker of red haunted his normally black eyes for a mere moment. That moment was enough to surprise the man he was fighting.

"My, my, I didn't realize I was fighting an Uchiha! How lucky I must be!"

A large snake protruded from his mouth, slithering out like some extended tongue, and launched itself at Sasuke. He twisted out of the way, but the snake was too large to dodge completely. It wrapped its body around his own, weighing him down and squeezing all the breath out of his chest.

Laughing, the older man stooped low enough to breathe in Sasuke's face. Naruto could see the latter's expression cringe in disgust.

"My name is Orochimaru, and I _will _be back to see you," he drawled, drawing out his "s"s like a snake would hiss.

He lifted Naruto once more, throwing him over his shoulder despite the protests, gave one more look at Sasuke's glowering and frustrated face, and swiftly knocked Naruto unconscious. The blonde could feel the light fading from his vision as he was transported far away…Sasuke's last cry for him echoing dully in his mind…then he was out.

* * *

A/N: Oh, dear, what a cliffhanger. Well, you know as well as I do that I can not write a decent cliffhanger at all. Might as well lie to myself to make me feel better. Next chapter will be a bit hectic, I'm sure: New characters and places to be introduced. Sorry again about updating two days later than I said I would, but believe me, it was ready to go yesterday, I just never got the chance to post it. Hopefully I will be forgiven... 

So long, from Strudel, the girl who can't draw Hitsugaya even if her life depended on it.


	9. Everyone Wins

A/N: Wow, I went from over 4,000 words in chapter 8 to barely 2,000 in this chapter. Big drop, I know, but I wanted to put something out quickly, so sorry for such a short one! I've been taking a Writer's Vacation for the holidays, and now I'm back on track. Did everyone have a good Thanksgiving? I hope so. Anyways, on with the story.

I don't own Naruto.

_**Techie and the Agent**_

**Chapter Nine**

Everyone Wins

* * *

The first word that registered in Naruto's mind was _wet._ That was how he felt upon first regaining consciousness. In fact, everywhere he sensed around his body, moisture seemed to reign supreme over every other feeling. It was like he was in covered in water, or else something that wasn't as pleasant.

The air was cool, and smelled like rusty pipes. It took him awhile to pry open his eyes, and when he did, he suddenly wished he hadn't.

He was lying on a rough bed, propped up a few feet from the floor, and was surrounded by stone walls that were visible from the torches placed here and there. It looked like a very depressing prison cell, with no windows.

_Great,_ he thought sarcastically._ I'm being held prisoner by some wacko._ He tried moving his limbs to regain blood circulation (he felt oddly cold just lying there), but found they were quite immobile. He peeked down, and sure enough, rusty shackles pinned him to the surface. He also had a thin gown on, much like a hospital's attire.

A rat scurried across the dirty stone floor, making Naruto cringe. He always did hate rats (which was strange, as he adored his pet hamster Leslie. He remembered with a sharp pang that she was still in his apartment, probably dead from lack of food or care).

Pushing that thought aside for the time being, he tried wriggling out of the shackles, but it was no use. They might have been rusted and old, but they were still very strong. He also didn't want to risk getting tetanus if he cut himself on the metal.

A screech came from his right. A door, previously concealed, opened, letting a man enter the threshold of the cell.

He was young, probably not much older than Naruto, although his hair shone white and wispy in the firelight. He was pale, too, and had two red dots placed above his eyebrows. Taking in his tall, bony thin structure as well as the small tray of food in his hands, Naruto made the assumption that the man was a servant.

Without a word, the food was placed onto Naruto's lap, and his arm shackles were unlocked so he could eat. The man's cool voice spoke before he could sit up.

"Don't attempt to escape; those shackles cannot be unlocked without the key. Eat your food, or starve. The choice is yours." He walked away from the bed.

Naruto's curiosity overwhelmed him. "Wait! Who are you? And where am I?"

The man stopped, and didn't speak for a long time. "You are in a cell, Naruto-kun. Eat your food."

He pulled open the door once more. Naruto's questions died on his lips as he muttered for the last time, "And my name is Kimimaro."

The door shut loudly, bringing the blonde out of his reverie. His stomach growled on cue, and he reluctantly looked down at his tray of food.

"Soup. And some bread. Boy, they really are four-star, huh?" he joked to himself. Somehow, the witty remark sounded dull when he was alone.

He missed Sasuke.

Sipping lightly from the bowl, he wondered briefly if Sasuke missed him back. He also wondered whether the food was poisoned or drugged. But he almost didn't care about the latter, as his loneliness encouraged him to eat his food as quickly as possible, like some love-sick girl who indulges on chocolate.

_Eh_, he thought, _I must be going crazy in here_.

The hours crawled by at ant-pace, and his skin itched as the chilly breeze grew fiercer. Kimimaro returned to re-latch his arm shackles (much to Naruto's chagrin) and bring him a small moth-eaten blanket. He was grateful, nonetheless.

He once found himself counting the spiders on the ceiling, unconsciously naming them as he went. So far, he already had went through the entire alphabet, backwards. Stopping himself at Bertha, Benjamin, and Biff, he tried unsuccessfully to turn his body sideways. The shackles kept him grounded.

He cried out, to no one in particular, but mostly to himself. He felt angry, and deprived, and this wasn't exactly turning into a day-spa trip! Why did it have to be _him_ locked in a cell, miles away from any civilization or help? Who knows what sort of evil concoctions he might have to drink, or electric chairs he would have to test out? From what he had learned, he couldn't put it past Orochimaru to do something that wicked.

He felt the lull of exhaustion creep through his senses, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

----

"Are you sure?"

Sasuke nodded solemnly.

"Completely sure?"

"For God's sake, _yes_, Kakashi! I'm sure! I saw it with my own eyes!"

The silver haired man rubbed at his masked face tiredly. Having sustained no injuries, and having to save Shikamaru's behind before he got himself decapitated, Kakashi wasn't having the best of days (as the sun was starting to come up already). And then he found Sasuke, Sai, and Neji, who were telling him that Orochimaru and Kabuto ran off with Naruto.

"Terrific..." he muttered under his breath. Shikamaru sifted through his bag, retrieving the first aid kit and began treating Sasuke's wounds. The lazy agent had been fighting Tayuya and had found himself in a bad position, but thankfully, Kakashi had arrived to finish her off.

"Kabuto's been playing us like_toys_," commented Neji. The mood was tense, and nearly silent except for the slight scratching of Sai's pen on paper.

They loaded into the car, which took another 20 minutes to locate, no one really sure of where to go next.

"Naruto is probably going to stay at Orochimaru's hideout, assuming he isn't moved elsewhere," said Kakashi, fishing around for a map of the area.

"Yeah," said Sasuke thoughtfully, "except our mission doesn't involve Orochimaru...we're supposed to save the 'Shukaku', aren't we?"

"Then we have to choose: Naruto's safety, or Tsunade's orders?"

Kakashi tensed visibly. "We will never abandon our comrade."

Shikamaru gave him a weird look. "Troublesome...Should we contact Tsunade immediately?"

Kakashi agreed, and immediately dialed her number. After a short and clipped conversation, he hung up and started the car.

No one spoke for awhile, before Sai suddenly piped up from the back. "So, what did she say?"

Kakashi's visible eye narrowed as he pulled onto a busy street. "We're rescuing Naruto," he said with resolution.

Everyone in the car silently agreed.

* * *

It had been around 3 days since Naruto had seen daylight. He had grown more and more frustrated with each passing minute, and without the normal diet he had always consumed, he was losing weight rapidly. The small meal once daily wasn't nearly enough to satisfy his raging hunger.

Kimimaro entered the cell abruptly, ending his musings, and started to unlock the blonde's shackles on his arms _and_ legs.

"Am...am I getting another bathroom break?" He had just been to the restroom 2 hours ago, surely he wasn't being allowed another?

"No. Kabuto wishes to speak with you," the servant replied, his heavily lined eyes trained to the ground as he led Naruto out of the cell.

Walking through the halls outside was even creepier than staying in one spot. They trodded quietly for a few minutes, reaching a door down an almost pitch-black hall. Kimimaro opened the door slowly.

Naruto was pushed inside to a wooden chair, in which he sat. A lamp glowed in the darkness. _These freaks must have an affinity for no sunlight_, Naruto mused.

"Hello, Naruto-kun."

Wait, he knew that voice!

Kabuto stepped forward into the small beam of light, a grin playing on his face. "We meet again. I do hope I didn't injure your friends too severely...?"

A familiar anger shot through Naruto's veins. "Shut up! You nearly _killed_ Sasuke!"

Kabuto chuckled that oh-so-evil laugh of his. Naruto found himself imagining a giant knife severing Kabuto's head clean off. But then Kabuto was touching his face, and all thoughts left his brain immediately.

"Why, I don't think Kimimaro is feeding you nearly enough. You're getting thin," he said, his cold fingers feeling the contours of Naruto's tan face. He shivered.

Stepping back, Kabuto took on a more serious approach. "Akatsuki wants you, Naruto-kun, for reasons I'm sure your precious Kakashi-sensei didn't disclose to you."

"I know full well why they want me!" Naruto shouted indignantly. He noticed that he wasn't—and hadn't been for awhile—constrained in his chair, so he was surprised that he couldn't seem to move an inch. Kabuto's presence kept you still.

"Oh?" the bespectacled man replied curiously. "You know that you contain special information about an experimental program inside your very mind? You are highly valuable to them, as well as to Orochimaru."

"Wait, what?" Orochimaru? He didn't want the 'Kyuubi' file too, did he?

Kabuto nearly read his mind. "No, Orochimaru-sama doesn't care about chivalrous things such as controlling the world. He prefers a greater power: something akin to immortality, if you wish. Of course, there is no science in the world that can make a person live forever...yet, but for now, he wants a sort of trophy that he can tune to fulfill his own benefits. Do you follow, Naruto-kun?"

"No, not really, Kabuto," he responded sarcastically. "Could you repeat that, please?"

"Aren't you the little _joker_..." Kabuto strode forward, as if to strike him, but paused before making contact. He leaned back, that same sinister smile back in place.

"Orochimaru-sama wants to use you in order to obtain his trophy. Akatsuki wants you, Orochimaru has you, but doesn't want you. The only thing he does want will never consider turning himself over. Therefore, the Akatsuki will take the trophy to Orochimaru-sama, in exchange for you. Does that mean anything to you? Is it clear? Are you sure you understand now?" Bits of spittle flew from Kabuto's mouth as he ranted.

"Um..." Naruto started, but Kabuto cut him off again with a mad laugh.

"I have already alerted Akatsuki of my requests and conditions, and sooner or later, they will find your precious little Sasuke, bring him to me, and you will be exchanged over to them. Isn't that wonderful? Everyone _wins_, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto gulped. _This isn't good_...

* * *

A/N: Aaand, another lame cliffhanger. But in actuality, I really liked this chapter. It turned out exactly the way I wanted it to. So I'm in an immensely good mood. XD A nice review would certainly make my day. -wink wink-

(Minor Spoiler) For anyone reading the Naruto manga, please enlighten me and tell me you hate the whole Jiraiya-versus-Pein-thing too. I don't really mind side-fights, but in my opinion, this doesn't even compare to the fight between Sasuke and Itachi. I miss those brotherly moments... :P

Bye for now!


	10. Puzzles Build Brain Cells

A/N: Okay, so I took a long-awaited pause from writing. But once I started up again, it just came tumbling out. I find pacing myself makes better chapters anyway:D This chapter is completely focused on one area/scene, around Naruto, so I didn't have to deal with scene changes or anything. I'm feeling that the story is very fast pace, but I have no idea how to slow it down. We're only on chapter 10, and the climax is nearly here already! Well...I lied, it's about 1/2-2/3 done. :) I actually have no idea.

I tried to write a little bit longer than chapter 9, because I jipped you with a long break and little content last time. This is the best I could do. Don't hate me. XP Also, I've been pondering whether to write names with an "ou" or just "o" (ex: Kidomaru, Kidoumaru). I don't like writing either, but I think I may be switching back and forth for awhile. Just wanted to point that out.

Beware of crazy plants.

**I don't own Naruto.**

_**Techie and the Agent**_

**Chapter Ten**

Puzzles Build Brain Cells

* * *

In the days that followed Kabuto's rare and strange outbreak, Naruto had yet to see him again. Perhaps the man needed his space and time to think about the proper way to kill the prisoner, or maybe he was just crazy? Naruto betted it was the latter. 

Most of the days (or nights, he never could tell when he was in his chamber) were spent in deep thought, his brain working overtime to come up with strategies for escaping. Some of those strategies failed before he could even put them into action; Kimimarou had a wicked sense of intuition.

The servant had continued to bring Naruto his meals, never mentioning Kabuto nor Orochimaru when in his presence. The meals stayed the same as ever: boring and pitiful. Even when Naruto specifically asked for a nice hot bowl of ramen, he was sadly rejected and had his bread bun thrown at his face.

Naruto continued to pry, however so slightly, at Kimimarou's hard exterior. He was like a puzzle that needed to be solved, but some of the pieces were either missing or destroyed. The older man was intelligent—the prisoner would give him that—and sometimes brought strange crossword-like games or Sudoku puzzles for Naruto to solve, stating that it helped the brain or something. Naruto needed no explanation; Any distraction from the desolate position he was in was good enough.

At first, Sudoku aggravated him, and nearly drove him to kill himself. The tiny numbers mocked him, drawing him in when he thought he had the solution, only to laugh at him when he realized that it wouldn't work. He had tore many a puzzle into smithereens.

Kimimarou sometimes hung around, watching as the blonde struggled with the logistics that seemed to always be just out of his reach. And, sadly enough, the puzzles were still only on Level 2. That inspired him to teach the poor lad, even making an effort to bring in a table and chairs and sit down with him.

He showed him just how easy it was to solve such a thing, while Naruto was in wonder. Occasionally, they even forgot what their boundaries were and suddenly were laughing together at a joke Naruto told, or an incident with another servant...

They were almost becoming friends.

Albeit weird ones.

Naruto often thought that, possibly, this semi-friendly demeanor was just an act, just a trap to lure him in and expose deep dark secrets. Maybe Kimimarou was an excellent actor, one whose talent far exceeded any reason for doubt, and had been playing Naruto since the very beginning.

Naruto decided not to dwell on it.

One day, while Kimimarou was away fetching tea (_tea_, of all things—surely that's proof enough that he was getting soft on him), Naruto noticed a change in the way the word search puzzle he was working on was printed. Today, it had been printed on a yellowish, thin paper, and had been bundled along with many other sheets of paper. If Naruto wasn't mistaken, he was working on a puzzle from a newspaper.

It wasn't the best thing that could happen, but it was a change in scenery, that was for sure.

He hurriedly rearranged the bundle, so that the front cover faced him. He disregarded the press' title, instead focusing on the date and front article.

"September 18th..." Naruto wondered aloud. He had been a prisoner for a lot longer than he had originally thought.

His eyes looked down at the header:

**Mysterious Happenings: What They Mean**

He read on:

_Nearly 2 months ago, on a blustery July morning, a warehouse worker named Bill Davis discovered 4 bodies, unconscious and wounded, near one of his weekly routinely checked housings. Officials reported them as being missing convicted criminals (as referred to by fellow ex-prisoners)—"Jiroubou", "Sakon", "Kidoumaru", and "Tayuya." Each of these people were sentenced to life in prison for various murders, robberies, assassinations, and kidnappings. No information has been found regarding their whereabouts at the time, and they were immediately taken into custody and will await their trial next month for future sentencing._

_Amongst all the chaos, some officials think this strange occurrence may point to something else...something more sinister. It's not everyday that 4 criminals evade detection for years, only to wind up in the same area, nearly dead. Also, a building nearby had been blown up by what looks like a bomb of some sort, although no residue was found and no traces of DNA were left on the scene. A closer investigation has taken place since then, but we are still left wondering: What happened?_

_Another strange happening occurred when well-respected friend Johnny Fisher went missing in northern Alaska on a camping trip last month. His family says—_

Naruto paused, looking up from the paper and staring at a spot on the wall. He contemplated the events of that day, all those weeks ago, and realized that Orochimaru nor Kabuto had bothered cleaning up after their mishap. They had probably not expected to lose some of their minions, and needed to escape before any more evidence was found.

He sighed tiredly, and ran his hand through his hair. It was nice, knowing the public had found out and may someday find a lead on Orochimaru, but for now, he suspected there would be no current advantages.

He leafed through the paper, looking for any signs of strange behavior or deaths, but found none. He even half expected to see an article about a missing teen named Naruto Uzumaki, but then he realized that Tsunade had covered up his absence as soon as it began.

His thoughts drifted to different topics, lightly falling on Sasuke and the others, before reaching the notion that he hadn't showered in forever. Suddenly, his manly funk was clearly apparent, and he longed for a shower or three to take care of the stench.

As if reading his mind, Kimimarou appeared holding the tea, and even looked sort of...content. The norm for his facial expressions ranged from dull, bored, to condescending. Never anything like this.

"Hey, sorry I took so long, Ren kept blabbing about some guy who got eaten by a snake yesterday." He set the cups down beside Naruto's bed, pulling up a chair in the process.

Then he noticed that Naruto had the newspaper open, and something seemed to open inside his eyes. He looked pleased, even excited for one small moment, before it disappeared and was replaced by his normal apathetic glance. "Did you read that?" he asked calmly.

Naruto nodded. "I was curious to know what's going on, but so far, nothing has been interesting." He sipped some of the tea, reveling in the warmth as it slid down his throat.

"Mm," agreed Kimimarou, as he too took a drink. Naruto decided now was a good a time as ever.

"Can I possibly...well, if you have one...well, what I'm trying to say is...Can I take a shower?"

The white haired man took another sip. "That depends. What would you do when you went to go take one?"

"Um," Naruto started awkwardly, "bathe?"

"That is not what I meant." He added a sugar cube to his tea. "I mean to say, on the way there? Would I need to...escort you?" His eyes regained that twinkle of sorts, like he spotted an opportunity and was about to claim it.

"Uhh, if you want to, I wasn't going to run or anything—"

"Fine."

Naruto looked bewildered. "Huh?"

"I said, it's fine. You obviously are old enough to go on your own, and you know where the bathroom is, just follow the corridor one more room to find the shower. I trust you won't..._stray_." He stood up, having finished with his tea.

Naruto took that as a cue and left the room after Kimimarou unbound his legs. He strode quietly through the dim hall, taking the usual route to the restroom.

Some voices peaked his interest, and he looked down the adjacent hallway to seek their whereabouts. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it was beginning to seem fun to the fun-loving blonde.

He felt along the walls to see where he was going, but immediately changed plans when he felt upon a spider web. He was temporarily distracted with wiping his hand off on his pants when a door opened up ahead, flooding the immediate area with light. He quickly flattened himself against the wall, hidden in the shadows.

Kabuto marched out, his body language speaking in volumes of the kind of temper he was in.

"...no, I don't care how you do it, the Uchiha brat needs to be captured."

Naruto squinted at the rapidly approaching figure, and saw that he was holding a cell phone to his ear. Whoever was on the other line must have been getting an ear-full.

"No, Konan, listen to me. Your leader isn't one of my main priorities, nor is it one of Orochimaru-sama's. We only want the Uchiha, and if you and your organization want your precious little 9-Tails, then find a way to get Sasuke. He either seeks me himself, or gets caught. Either way, it's a win-win, and I'm determined to—" He paused, directly in front of the spot where Naruto was hiding.

He looked to the side from the corner of his spectacles, eyeing a place to the left of Naruto, before deciding that there was nothing there and he continued on his way. Naruto let out the breath he was holding and slowly followed Kabuto down the hall.

"Sorry, I was...distracted. Anyway, if I don't hear from you in two days that you've caught the little brat, then Naruto's gonna experience a little more than just being locked up. Do you understand? I hope you do." He shut the phone with a snap, letting out an irritated growl before entering another room. Naruto slowed.

_What was all that about_? He wondered.

After deciding that there really was no point in sticking around, he trudged off to find the bathroom. Unfortunately, Kabuto had went farther into the hideout, leading the blonde into a maze of hallways. There was no way he could find the bathroom now.

A clear, sweet-smelling aroma drifted towards him, filling him with nice and happy memories and good feelings. The scent reminded him of a mixture of berries and freshly mowed lawns. It was sharp, but somehow pleasant.

Following his nose had led him down a narrow flight of stairs, bringing him even deeper into the labrynth-like headquarters. The smell kept him going; something about it drew him in like moths to a flame.

He reached a dead end, and pondered for a moment why he had carelessly wandered away from the safety of his room. Kimimarou was probably out looking for him by now, thinking that Naruto had flew the coop and ditched him.

He snorted in quiet laughter. _Kimimarou is much too uptight. But it wouldn't be good if I was found wandering..._

He turned when he heard a whisper, or at least, he thought it was a whisper. But all that was behind him was—yet another blank stone wall.

_I must be getting paranoid_... he thought humorlessly.

But, there it was again! He whipped around again to meet with the wall, but he could have sworn there was movement.

He furiously rubbed at his eyes, making them red and irritated. Something was messing with him, he was sure of that.

"Kimimarou?" No answer. "Look, you can stop freaking me out, I'll go back quietly—YARGH! WHATTHE_HELL_ISTHAT?!"

Leaping back quickly, he avoided a quick swipe to the head. He gasped in a breath. There, standing in front of him with an eerie silence that was even more painful than nails or anything else that was unpleasant, was a mutant.

Not just any mutant, but one with a freakish plant-like growth protruding from its shoulders, engulfing its head and submerging its face in shadows. A thin line separated the two vertical halves of its visage into pure black and pure white. The thing, which resembled a human male, was grinning wickedly, displaying sharp teeth and piercing yellow eyes that had no eyelids. The gruesome figure wore a black robe that draped to its feet, with scarlet clouds decorating the fabric.

Instant remembrance shone through his mind, clearing some of the fog that muddled his thoughts._Akatsuki...!_

The thing was not moving now, just standing there staring at him. It didn't blink.

_Oh, well of course not, it doesn't have eyelids_. Naruto mused sarcastically to himself. At this point in time, he didn't think talking to himself was very abnormal, compared to this freak of nature.

A thick atmosphere settled on Naruto's shoulders, and little by little, he was beginning to get nervous. The sweet scent had disappeared with the appearance of the monster, and there was no Sasuke or Kakashi or even Kimimarou to save him now.

The mutant spoke, in one cold, harsh word that reverberated around the room. "Come."

Naruto didn't respond. The voice itself sent shivers down his spine. The plant-thing repeated itself, and again, received no reaction. Then it stepped forward one pace, effectively freezing the blonde in place. _No, don't come over here!_

A new voice, one that was sharper, crueler and a little softer issued from the same mouth that had uttered the previous voice. "_Why don't we just kill the boy and save ourselves the trouble_?" it asked irritably.

The man-plant seemed to consider this, but a conflicted look entered its soulless eyes. "No, Leader-sama requested to bring him alive."

"_I don't care what that ass told you, I say we kill 'im! I haven't seen any bloodshed for a while now_," said the strange voice again.

_Is he_... thought Naruto,_fighting with himself_?

A few more moments passed. The creature turned its eyes back onto Naruto, having been wandering around near the ceiling, and it sent that strange shiver down his spine again. "Come quietly, and you won't get hurt—" "_Or eaten_!" "Or eaten. Please heed my warnings."

Naruto considered making a run for it, but learning from past experiences, he decided now was not the time for running. Was he to stay here and deny the villain-thing what he desired, thus putting his life in danger? He could go, but he knew giving himself up to the Akatsuki was like throwing all of his team's efforts in the garbage. They fought to keep him away from them, but here he was, thinking of going with them!

Staying here with Kabuto, Orochimaru and Kimimarou wasn't the best prospect either, but after hearing Kabuto's plans on capturing Sasuke and giving him away to the organization, he had no doubt he would have ended up there anyway. What harm could saving a little time do?

He risked getting his head bitten off, and asked, "What is your name?"

"Zetsu," came the reply.

_What a weirdo_! "Are you a part of Akatsuki?"

"Yes." "_Well, what else would we be from? I'd think the clouds were a dead giveaway_." The ever-present second persona of this Zetsu person chuckled deeply.

Naruto weighed the pros and cons, but after finding neither in this situation, gave in. He lifted his arms and held them out in front of him. "Fine. But whatever you are planning, it better not involve Sasuke." He couldn't risk having his friend hurt, and with all that was happening, he wouldn't doubt the Uchiha was on his way to Orochimaru's hideout right now. There was always the chance that Kabuto would find Sasuke anyway, while Naruto was somewhere far away and out of reach, but he didn't like to dwell on that.

Zetsu stepped forward, and in that instant, darkness swallowed his whole being. He found himself trapped inside a giant plant. A Venus Flytrap. Zetsu.

Before his brain could kick his nervous system into action and start thrashing and screaming, he was unconscious, barely aware of the sweet-smelling aroma emanating from the inside of the plant before he could do nothing else.

* * *

A/N: No point in saying anything now, except: review! I've come to the conclusion that there are 100-something of you "anonymous" people that read my chapters but don't review. Even a simple "I liked it" or "I hated it" is fine with me, even if you aren't registered. Share the Christmas spirit, and donate your spare reviews today! 8D -end of plea- 


	11. Nostalgia Brings You Back

A/N: Alas, I am here, and still clinging to reality. Haha, not really. But never fear, I'm not giving up! If any of you doubted me, minus 3 points! If you still held hope I would return, umm...kudos. :D But enough of this pathetic drivel, it's time for chapter 11. I, once again, apologize for the long wait, but I've been in this 'slump' that could only be caused by 3 things: Jiraiya's fate; Stressful decision on who to cosplay; Holidays. I must admit, I wanted to play Guitar Hero much more than update. Lo siento.

Onward! Oh, and there will be an immensely large amount of suckish flashbacks. I wanted to write _one _story without resorting to those horrible insights of the past, but...I guess every story needs _one_, right? Beware.

**I don't own Naruto.**

**_Techie and the Agent_**

**Chapter Eleven**

Nostalgia Brings You Back

* * *

Sasuke was anxious. Quite frankly, he had been waiting far too long for the new squad to form. It had been over 2 weeks since Naruto was kidnapped by Orochimaru and the team had made the decision to follow up on them. 

It's too bad that they had lost so much precious time.

Upon returning to Konoha's base, Tsunade had went into a fit of rage. She declared the mission a state of emergency, and ordered all agents to return to the base, except if it was necessary to stay in duty.

Kakashi was resting, as his chakra was enormously depleted (although it was odd, seeing as he never gave hint to being weakened after the fight). A new captain for the squad was created, a man named Yamato taking his position.

Shikamaru declined going after Orochimaru and Kabuto with the team, stating that fighting was not his forte. Sasuke agreed silently; Shikamaru was useful, but not when combat was a given.

Neji had taken to staying in his room, up all hours of the night reading his scrolls. Something had put him off, Sasuke was sure, and now the long-haired man needed to restore his sense of balance. The Hyuuga required stability to function properly, Sasuke mused.

Sai had started an annoying habit of always being in the same room as Sasuke, much to the latter's hatred. Every time Sasuke would move to another room, it always seemed like Sai would follow. When the Uchiha had confronted the other raven-haired boy, he had merely grinned in that ferrety way of his and said "I'm just collecting research." _Research, my_—

"_There_ you are, Sasuke!" His thoughts were cut short when a girl he recognized as Tenten strode up to him. He had been lounging in the break room, although his thoughts were not on the Call of Duty 4 game in front of the group, but rather the dangerous mission around the 'metaphorical' corner.

He raised a hand in greeting, not unlike how Kakashi normally did. "Hello, Tenten."

She didn't seem happy, as her frown placed upon her normally pleasant face hinted. "We've got the plan and the group ready, you might want to come with me." She set her lips in a grim line, and led Sasuke to the conference hall.

The long mahogany table was filled to the brim with strange adults, all talking at once to each other and yacking on their cell phones simultaneously. 2 or 3 pagers went off, and Sasuke had to poke a finger in his ear to keep it from ringing. "Uh, Tenten..."

"This way." He followed her past the table of people (who paid him no mind) and through another door. Tsunade was waiting patiently along with the majority of Konoha's work force.

"Close the door," she instructed briefly. He did so and took a seat in front of the president.

"Who were they?" he asked curiously, jabbing his thumb in the direction of the strangers. He could feel many pairs of eyes on him as he spoke, and he knew they were calculating whether he was in a good mood or not.

Tsunade sighed tiredly. She had never looked so old to Sasuke. "Those were higher-ups who insist on running this place altogether. Word got out that the last of the Biju files was stolen, but kept within the walls of the CIA, and they kept a close eye on me since then. Now that Naruto has been captured, they decided to invade our institution and are now trying to cover up the press and media from ever finding out. But they never miss a chance to harass me and threaten me with my job." She smiled dryly.

She started again, this time with a much more upbeat tone. "Now, the Advisors and I have come up with a foolproof plan to relocate and save Naruto Uzumaki. Do you swear you will never reveal any of this information to anyone outside of this room?"

He was puzzled. He had never needed to take a pledge before, except when he was a child and was being sworn in to the corporation. "I swear."

"Good. Then here's the plan, and listen well:

"Your new squad has been altered and multiplied for optimum safety and efficiency. I will never make the mistake of sending Naruto out on a mission again, if he should ever return. Not until the Akatsuki and Orochimaru have been taken down and destroyed. I am not afraid of the consequences, I am merely worried about the fatalities.

"Yes, I said fatalities, and I'll tell you why. This isn't an easy task, nor is it a common one. We are dealing with murderers, people, not ordinary cops or any other pointless person. I may have given you the wrong directions before, but I will not make that mistake again. Therefore, I am sending only the best on this reconnaissance mission. You have all sworn that you will do your very best, so I have no doubt in your talents. I have seen you all grow tremendously.

"Now, on to the groups. Team 1 will consist of: Lee, Neji, and Tenten, with Gai as your leader. Team 2 will consist of: Sasuke, Sai, and Hinata, with Yamato as your leader in substitution for Kakashi. I want you to reacquaint yourself with your team if you haven't done so recently already, and then we may begin."

Sasuke turned his eyes onto the shy, stuttering Hinata, Neji's cousin, and his doubts immediately heightened. She may be talented with chakra use and her family's trademark eyes, but she was nowhere near her cousin's level of skill. He hoped she wouldn't become too much of a nuisance.

He ignored Sai, who was grinning again, and then turned his attention back onto Tsunade. She hastily took a swig of her sake (which she always said was tea, in her defense), and straightened her spine.

"You will travel north, to Orochimaru's suspected hideout. I know where this area is, because a trusted source has informed me of it. It may take a few days to find the exact location, but hopefully we can save time if we get this done soon. When you reach the base, I will make sure you have the supplies needed to infiltrate it and scout for Naruto. He should be somewhere underground, because if I know Orochimaru," her amber eyes glinted briefly with the slightest inkling of nostalgia, "he will want something extreme."

"I will plant devices on you that will track your progress, and Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji will guide you through using earpieces and microphones. They will stay back at base. If you do not find Naruto within a half hour, they will direct you further under my orders. If you are to be captured, I will not condemn you if you resort to using your talents. I have faith in you all." She paused in her speech, and turned her lips upward in a faint smile. "Nothing will go as planned, I am sure of it, but we can only try our best. If nothing else, I will send the whole_ freakin_' United States Army after you to help you along. Nothing could be worse than letting File Kyuubi become exposed."

Sasuke stayed behind as the rest of the agents filed out of the room. "Tsunade, can I ask you something?"

She looked up, and she didn't seem surprised to find him still there. "Oh? What about, Uchiha?"

"Do you think Naruto will die?"

Her eyebrows slanted downward. "The probability of that happening is 97 percent, actually. He's being held by a mass-murderer and medical prodigy, and I have no doubt that Akatsuki will at one point get their hands on him as well. I've heard of an invention that extracts memories, and if that is used on Naruto, then there is no hope for the world any longer."

Sasuke looked down at his feet. "Why doesn't Naruto remember reading the file? When I asked him, a while back, how he had hacked into the database, he went...berserk on me."

"Ah," said Tsunade all-knowingly, "that is a secret that I cannot tell you. For now, Sasuke, make do with what you know and use it to your advantage. You are a smart boy, Sasuke Uchiha, and I put my full trust in you." She walked forward and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Does Naruto mean that much to you?"

----

"_Taka was picking on me again, so I punched him," an 11-year old Naruto replied sulkily, twirling his shoes in the playground wood chips in a bashful attempt to avoid his teacher's gaze. Iruka frowned. _

"_You know fighting at school is against the rules, Naruto. I know you are having a tough time with your rent, and I wish I could help, but...that is no reason to start violence in the playground. You could have seriously injured Taka."_

_Naruto looked up at his teacher's eyes. "You don't understand! He was saying some stuff about me, and I didn't care much, but then he was calling Sasuke names, and..."_

_Iruka placed a hand on the boy's head, effectively earning a halfhearted glare. He knew Naruto had trouble controlling his actions, and although he cared about the blonde like he would his own son, fighting at school was against the rules. He bent down to eye level and gave him a quick smile. "Just don't do it again, Naruto."_

_Naruto waved over his shoulder as he ran across the playground and entered the school. A small, pale boy was waiting for him around the corner._

"_Hey, are we ready to go, Sasuke?" Naruto fixed a strap on his backpack as he waited for his friend to answer. Sasuke bit his bottom lip and looked away, staring at a spot on the wall near the cafeteria. "I'm glad you didn't get in trouble..." he mumbled quietly._

_He wasn't sure if Naruto had heard him, but the other boy's face split into a wide grin. He grabbed the shoulder strap on the other boy's bag and led him to the front doors where the school bus waited to bring them home, a small bounce in his step. Unwillingly, a small smile crept onto Sasuke's face as well. Whenever you were around Naruto, you couldn't help but feel happy._

_---- _

The current Sasuke rubbed at his eyes tiredly, shaking away the memory. "Yes," he decided, "he does."

Tsunade nodded in an 'I thought so' way. She left the room to face the businessmen outside. Sasuke waited a moment or so before following.

He was anxious, because his one and only friend might not see the light of day again.

* * *

"Zetsu sure is taking awhile," said a disgruntled auburn-haired man. He shifted his legs into a more comfortable position on the plush sofa he sat on. "Konan, you told Kabuto the right information, did you not?" 

A blue-haired woman scribbled down some notes on a piece of paper before looking up at her leader. "I specifically told Kabuto that we would find Sasuke Uchiha, but I did not promise bringing him to Orochimaru, just like you said, Pein."

Pein swirled the drink in his left hand while the other hand traced the piercings along the bridge of his nose thoughtfully. "You know, Kabuto isn't nearly as perceptive as snake-man makes him out to be. He shouldn't put so much trust in one person."

He stood up as soon as the door opened, and Zetsu entered the room carrying a body. Konan hurriedly took Naruto from the black-and-white man's arms. "Good work, Zetsu. No harm, no foul?" said Pein appraisingly.

Zetsu gave no indication that he respected the Akatsuki's leader; he merely stood there. "It was easy enough, I suppose." "_The little brat was no problem, but we had to avoid Kabuto, which wasn't so simple_."

Pein nodded and waved his hand at Konan, who took off down an adjoining hall and headed towards the dungeons. Pein watched her go as Zetsu disappeared from the room.

"This is going easier than I expected," Pein said to himself. "I do hope Kakuzu finishes that machine in time..."

----

Konan shifted Naruto's weight upwards again, hooking her arms more securely around his chest and under his knees. He wasn't very heavy, but she wasn't very strong and so the task of carrying an adult male down the stairs wasn't very easy.

----

_A small, scraggly little girl with vibrant blue hair was sitting on the asphalt, her ragged clothes covered with dirt and her scuffed-up knees visible from under her too-short dress. She was immensely thin, and was shivering from the cold gusts of wind that blew through the city._

_She waited, and waited, for her family to return. They were out scavenging for food in dumpsters, and she was instructed to stay behind at the "house" to guard their small amount of supplies from other beggars. The home in question was located in a deserted alley, mostly made up of random pieces of plywood leaning against each other and covered with ratty blankets._

_Amongst the poverty, the sickness, and the harsh way of life, the little girl loved her family. They were hodgepodge, and biologically unrelated, but those two were the closest things to brothers she had ever known. She would do anything to keep them safe._

_Finally, just as a small drizzle started to pick up, two youngsters made their way to the small hut, their arms full with discarded food._

"_Nagato, Yahiko! About time!" she cried, getting up from her place on the ground to help them with the bundle. Yahiko sat himself down under the roof of their house and hastily dug into a half-eaten bag of potato chips. "Sowwy, Kowan," he said, his mouth full with food. He swallowed. "The dumpster was locked, so we had to break in, but look what we got! Somebody threw out their old sweater." He took an old woolen sweater from the pile and slipped it over his body. It was a tight fit, as it might have belonged to a 5-year old, but he grinned nevertheless._

_Konan repressed a shiver as another gust of wind struck the tiny shelter. Yahiko frowned, and took the sweater off. "Here," he said, thrusting it out to her, "you can have it. You need it more than me." She looked at him suspiciously, but took it anyways. _

"_T-thank you, Yahiko."_

_The ever-quiet Nagato was propping up an extra blanket against the direction of the wind, and settled himself down in his nest-like bed. He said nothing about the food, and hadn't even touched his portion of the chips Yahiko had offered. "Hey, Nagato, aren't you gonna eat?" he was asked._

"_No."_

"_Hmm, okay then, weirdo. More for us!" Nagato's lips turned upward in a tiny smile, but he hid it behind his long mop of black hair that covered his face. He despised the way they lived, but he wouldn't want to be stuck with anyone else. _

_Konan peeked over her shoulder at the now sleeping boy, and she was grateful that he had willingly left to go find food with Yahiko. She looked towards the sky, as the small amount of rain let up and the moon shone brightly. _Maybe_, she thought to herself, _our lives will change. Maybe we'll have a real home, with real clothes and food. Maybe we don't have to sleep outside anymore. Maybe, we can be happy...

_She fell asleep, surrounded by her family, the small, dysfunctional family, that she would never trade for the world._

_---- _

Konan quickly pushed the memory away before she tripped over a step. She regained her balance and made her way towards the row of cells. She didn't like it down here, as it radiated torture and death in every corner. Pein might have approved of the living standard down here, but she would never subject their prisoners to such horrible conditions if she wasn't forced to.

She placed the unconscious man on top of a small cot in an empty cell, carefully shifting him to make him comfortable. His face held a serene look in his sleep, and it made her smile. _This one's special, I can tell..._

Sometimes, she regretted her past decisions and wished that she had never joined this organization. Their goals were cruel and their means of fulfilling these aspirations were ruthless.

But something deeper burned within her, something stronger than guilt or regret. It filled her with such happiness that could never be described, and it made her head feel light and her stomach flutter. Her life was never the same after Yahiko died, but whenever she was around Pein, she could still feel the presence..._of family_.

Naruto grunted suddenly, and shifted onto his side. She shut and locked the cell door, and started up the stairs once again. Akatsuki's goal was almost complete, and the key to gaining world domination was asleep in their dungeon right now. She could hardly wait to see Pein's face as their goals were finally achieved. She would do anything for him, after all.

* * *

A/N: Aaaand, done. XD I can't believe I've been forgetting to thank my (small amount of dedicated) reviewers...! Holy bajeezus...Well, this is me, saying thank you for taking your time to tell me how much you like this story, even though it's very slow (yet very fast...?) and is confusing, even to me. Thanks for staying patient while I deal with writing this baby out. I intend to finish it, but I don't know how long it will take. So, once again, GRACIAS! Care to review once more? I know you want to... 


	12. First Impressions Are Everything

A/N: Wow, it's been awhile, hasn't it? (Rhetorical question, haha) I've only just discovered the many puns that are present in this chapter. It's weird to see something I've written as being humorous in some way...Anyways, I really enjoy this chapter, it was one of my favorites to write. The reason it took so long to post was my uncertainty about chapter 13, as the ending to this one leads into that one. But in the end, I went with my original plan, so no worries. On with the chapter!

**I don't own Naruto.**

**_Techie and the Agent_**

**Chapter Twelve**

First Impressions Are Everything

* * *

With a startling gasp and a deep tremor-like shudder, he awoke.

His eyes blinked a few times while his pupils dilated in order for him to see in the dark. His head spun, and his stomach lurched.

It took Naruto a few minutes to realize exactly where he was, and he suppressed a groan when the outcome of escaping reached zero.

The cell he was in stank worse than his chamber in Orochimaru's hideout, and was radically smaller. It barely measured 6 by 6, at the most. _Yes, I just have the best of luck_.

He sat up, wincing as his muscles screamed in protest from so little movement. He guessed that he had been unconscious for a few days, as his hair was matted and dirty and his mouth tasted unpleasant. Naruto extended his arms over his head, taking satisfaction when his joints popped and rolled.

After stretching, he laid back down on his bed—if you could call it that. _At least I'm not shackled_, he reminded himself.

A steady sound of dripping water caught his attention, and it once again reminded him of his underground prison that had preceded this one. Akatsuki wasn't that different from Orochimaru after all, he decided.

He vaguely remembered the plant-man, Zetsu, engulfing him, and he concluded that he must have been teleported here, however that was possible. He didn't like the thought of having enemy hands all over him; he desperately wished for everyone to just leave him alone. But he knew that wasn't likely.

Ever since that day...his life was never the same. He had to admit, being swept up into Sasuke's metaphorical arms and being told he was "special" wasn't exactly planned or expected, but the trouble it had caused and the chaos that ensued made Naruto feel strangely alive.

No, there was another life-changing event that had occurred, even before Sasuke had returned from wherever he had been. The one dreary, cloudy afternoon that had opened a door to this new world.

_Kyuubi._..the name sent shivers down the blonde's spine, and it had nothing to do with the frigid temperatures in the cell.

The complex world of the government had been exposed to the young man—on accident, of course—and now the effects were irreversible. He could never go back...he could never change the events of that one night. Never before had he wished more for a time machine.

He laughed softly. _This is getting ridiculous_. Nevertheless, he placed a hand on his stomach warily, feeling the pulse of power inside him shake, and he quickly altered his thoughts before he lost control once again.

He changed the subject instead to escaping this prison cell. He took a quick inventory of his situation.

The walls looked like they were made of century-old brick, pasted together roughly and hastily. He felt along a groove with his index finger thoughtfully. The floor was basically earth, with bits of gravel and water mixed in, creating a sloppy mess. He was grateful that he had a bed to sleep on, as opposed to being forced to sleep on the cold, wet ground.

There were torches lining the walls outside of his cell, the light of the flames glinted off of the bars of his cell door. Those too looked very old, the padlock rusting away and the hinges weakened. He made note of this; you never do know when you're going to have to escape.

Naruto flexed his legs before standing up. He immediately wished he hadn't, as vertigo seized him and he fell clumsily back down onto his bed. He'd have to take this slow, it seemed.

He lifted himself back up once more, but held onto a shelf on the brick wall. He waited for the dizziness to return, but it didn't, so he started pacing the perimeters of his prison.

"What to do, what to do..." he mumbled to himself. He made another 90 degree turn once he reached the corner of his cell, and stopped dead.

There, perched casually on his cot and looking like it had been there the whole time (even though it hadn't been there last time Naruto had checked), was a frog.

A particularly large frog.

He wanted to scream, but he sensed that that would be both alarming to the watch guards outside, and also extremely unmanly.

He opted to flatten himself against the opposite wall. "What the hell is going on here?!" he said in a loud whisper.

The frog blinked its large greenish eyes at him like it was nothing out of the ordinary. And then it spoke.

"What're _you_ starin' at, kid?" Its voice was whiny, like it didn't really enjoy being here. As it spoke, it lifted one of its feet and itched at the blue jacket it was wearing over its orange wart-covered skin.

Naruto only gaped. _A...a talking frog...! How in the world is this even possible?!_

The frog sniffed the air contentedly, and made a show of snuggling deeper into the thin blankets of Naruto's cot. It was roughly the size of an overweight house cat, but the strange wisdom that emanated from the frog made it appear more useful.

_It's almost like...it's here for something_, thought Naruto.

He took a moment to clear his throat. "Um...this may sound stupid of me...but how is it that a frog can talk?" He immediately felt like an idiot as the frog opened its eyes and glared, obviously offended by Naruto's word usage.

"First of all," it said grumpily, "I'm not a frog. I'm a toad, genius. Very different. And second," it seemed to grin with a smug undertone, "all toads can talk."

"No, they can't," said Naruto instinctively. "You're probably just a figment of my imagination."

"Wrong," said the toad simply. It sat up straighter on its haunches. "See, this is why I hate humans! They are so stupid sometimes..."

Naruto dismissed the jab (as it was from a toad, and obviously any insult coming from a talking amphibian wasn't to be taken seriously) and sat cautiously next to it on his bed. He wasn't sure whether the toad would attack, or something.

"So," Naruto said slowly, "what is it you wanted, er..." The toad jumped at the chance to inform him.

"My name's Gamakichi, by the way. And I'm here to help you escape."

This caught the techie off guard. "Escape...? How in the world would a talking toad manage to help a human escape an evil organization's lair?" He gave a skeptical glance at the toad's small size again, and its non-opposable thumbs. "I don't even know if you're real or not."

Gamakichi huffed indignantly before crossing his arms (Naruto had decided it was male, although he couldn't be sure). "I'm just as intelligent as any human you've ever seen, and better looking to boot. You should really put more trust in what you see, rather than believe."

This made the other scoff. "Explain to me, please, how I'm supposed to get out of here?"

The idea of being helped by a toad was really quite absurd, but for some reason, he couldn't shake the notion that this creature truly would save him. His brain worked furiously to put some reason into the situation, but for the most part, it still felt like a hallucination. _Maybe the guards drugged me...?_

"Fine," Naruto said at last. "I'll believe that you're real, and that you're going to help me. You obviously managed to get in my cell without me noticing, so you have some knowledge of this place. But first, before I can trust you," he hedged, unsure if he should continue, "you have to tell me everything you know about me, Akatsuki, and Orochimaru."

This made the toad frown. "And why would I do that?"

"So that I know you weren't sent by some other evil place to capture me, or something." He was quite sick of being taken all over the globe at anyone's whim, as it was beginning to make him wonder just how easy of a target he was to obtain.

"Hmm..." said Gamakichi thoughtfully, tapping his chin. "Your full name is Naruto Uzumaki, age is 19 years old, birthday October 10th, blood type B, parents Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, best friends with Sasuke Uchiha and ex-employee of TechTeam. Is that enough for ya?"

Startled, Naruto raised a finger and pointed it at his chest. "My blood type is B?" he asked incredulously.

This made Gamakichi chuckle. "Yeah, kid. I know all of this because my master's been watching you all this time. He was friends with your parents, ya know." He winked. "I was sent to retrieve you after my master received word from Tsunade that you were captured. Some great teamwork, those two have."

The familiar sensation of sorrow tugged at his heart at the mention of his deceased parents, but he hurriedly shut it out like he had done his whole life. "Okay, I believe you. Apparently, I have a stalker..." he said jokingly. A hesitant smile surfaced on his lips, and the atmosphere radically improved inside the tiny cell.

"Okay, so let's get down to business. Here's how we'll do it..."

Naruto leaned over the tiny scroll that the toad had brought along, anxious and excited to hear more of his future departure from the clutches of evil. He only hoped it would work...

* * *

The Konoha agents all filed into the small, crowded diner reluctantly, as everyone's inner voices were telling them to keep going. However, the need to use the bathroom and the raging hunger pains had driven them to the restaurant for relief.

Sasuke eyed a group of rowdy men sitting in a booth to their left critically, not wanting to be near them. A pretty looking waitress sidled up to the group of 8. She seemed a little surprised that such a large crowd had chosen their tiny diner over something larger.

"How many?" she asked, slightly bored.

"Eight," said Yamato calmly, a polite smile on his face. She caught sight of the two sulking dark-haired teenagers behind him, and her eyes lit up with joy. It was obvious she wanted to spend as much time around them as possible.

"Right this way." She led them to a large booth, thankfully on the other side of the restaurant from the loud men. Sasuke was stuck on the outside of the bench, Sai to his left and Lee across from him. _Oh, joy_... he thought darkly.

The waitress fluttered her eyelashes in his direction, and he grimaced down at his menu. None of the food selections were really healthy, but he chose the meal that Hinata ordered, just to be safe. The waitress took the orders and left hurriedly, probably to gossip. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

While the Konoha agents devoured their meals, Gai, the over-exuberant adult version of Lee, was currently declaring his superiority over the ever-calm Yamato. His shouts and exclamations made everyone's heads turn in their direction. Sasuke ducked his own.

Lee seemed to realize that now was a good time to challenge Sasuke, so he stood up valiantly and struck the "nice guy" pose. "Sasuke, my eternal rival—!" His proclamation was silenced as Neji kept his hand over Lee's mouth.

"Shut up, Lee, and eat your pancakes."

Lee begrudgingly sat back down on Neji's left, although his brightly lit eyes never faltered. "Until next time," he whispered, promising a duel in the near future.

Tenten giggled from her seat on Neji's right, as Gai lost hands down to an arm-wrestling match against Yamato. As he cried tears of anguish (or was it joy?) at being beaten by the substitute for his real rival, something in Sasuke's peripheral vision made him notice.

He inclined his head ever so slightly so as to peer over his shoulder inconspicuously. Another group of men had just entered the diner, and had taken a seat a few booths away. He watched them warily, as they weren't just any ordinary customers. Some weird sense of intuition inside him suspected Akatsuki.

When he turned his head back around, Sai's dark eyes were already watching him. "What?" asked Sasuke self-consciously, sliding down as far to the right as the booth would allow. As he put more jelly on his toast, Sai's hand disappeared in his backpack before reappearing with a scroll and pen. He drew quick, rough sketches, and it took a moment for the Uchiha to realize that Sai was drawing the same men that Sasuke had noticed. _So he felt something suspicious too_...? It occurred to the raven that maybe Sai was more adept at this field than he had once imagined.

Sasuke borrowed a piece of paper from Sai and scribbled a note to pass down two seats to his left to Hinata, and then to Yamato, so as to not alert the strangers. Yamato's eyes widened as he too took in the newcomers.

His reply was short. _Don't do anything reckless._

Soon, everyone at the Konoha table was aware of the strangers, but they tried their best to conceal their discovery. The waitress came back, oblivious to the tension in the air, and tried unsuccessfully to flirt with the raven-haired teen.

Soon, the last of their meals were devoured, and they paid the bill quickly. Sasuke stood first, and the rest followed him towards the exit. Before they could push open the door, a scream was heard.

Sasuke whipped around. One of the strangers was there, standing stock still while pointing a gun at the waitress' head. A strange glimmer of insanity was present in his eyes. "Don't move, kid, or she gets it."

Sasuke was certain the man was talking about him. By now, the rest of the crowded diner was watching, fear in their expressions, and a few children had started crying.

Yamato raised his hands into the air. "I don't know what you're talking about—"

"Quiet!" Yamato closed his mouth, his expression still calm and emotionless.

"Now, let's get this over with before someone gets hurt." His grip on the girl's shoulder tightened menacingly. "You're from Konoha, aren't you?"

The group stiffened, but Yamato kept pace. "Yes, we are. Will you let the innocents go and take this outside?"

The man laughed. It sounded maniacal, and sent shivers down Sasuke's spine. "Not a chance."

All at once, shots were fired and the occupants of the restaurant screamed. Sasuke's instincts kicked in and he shoved the nearest two people (Hinata and Lee) down to the floor quickly. He could see Yamato already leaping into action, with Gai on his heels. He knew it would be pointless for himself and the rest of the younger agents to interfere.

The smoke cleared, and it was obvious that the man that had previously held a gun to the waitress' head was dead. He was on the floor, blood leaking from above his ear, his eyes glazed over. Yet, Yamato nor Gai held any weapons.

The other two of the strange group of men were standing now, peering down at their fallen comrade disinterestedly. "He was getting cocky, the fool. I knew we shouldn't have brung him." The supposed leader was tucking his gun back into his belt, and dusted his hands.

He looked back up at the agents. Sasuke froze. It was _him_.

The man was slight, feminine in structure, and was dressed in all black that only lessened his intimidation. However, his hair was in a messy disarray of crimson locks, framing a pale as death face and equally crimson eyes. The eyes held a dead look. A murderous one.

"Sasori..." Sasuke hissed, recalling the face from a bingo book he had flipped through before their departure a few days ago. His face was also familiar from the day he and three other Akatsuki affiliates had chased Sasuke and Naruto down through the city by car. He was dangerous, that was certain, and Sasuke had to warn his leader.

The redhead's eyes flitted down to the younger agents, still lying on the floor, and particularly, to Sasuke. A grin slowly spread on his face as he caught sight of the determined expression the raven wore. "Sasuke Uchiha. My, my, you certainly do look exactly like your brother."

Rage intensified throughout his body, seemingly replacing his blood with pure adrenaline. He leaped off the floor and stood, shaking with anger, in front of Sasori. "Never mention my brother around me," he said threateningly, his jaw clenched tightly.

Sasori's eyes flickered with amusement. He surveyed his opponents, himself outnumbered 8 to 1, and grinned. He turned to his partner, who was still lurking behind him. Much to Sasuke's disappointment, the man wasn't recognizable. After a few shared words, the man disappeared through the back. It seemed Sasori wanted to fight alone.

"Leader-sama said we would find you in this area, for surely you were headed to Orochimaru's hideout, no? I must say, you are very close to being on the right track, but still, so far away. It's a pity I have to end it for you now."

"Where have you taken Naruto?!" the raven burst out, his hands clenched at his side. Something was telling him that maybe they were following the wrong lead...

The Akatsuki member only chuckled before taking a step forward. Yamato held out a hand to stop Sasuke from lunging.

Someone poked him on the shoulder, and as he turned, he saw it was Neji. The brunette pointed to all the people still in shock of what happened, crouching towards the floor, all eyes on them. "What do we do about them?" he whispered. This hadn't occurred to the Uchiha. If they fought inside, many people would be in the way, so it would be pointless. They really would have to take it outside.

Sasori seemed to read their minds. "Yes, I think going outside would be a wonderful idea. There's no one around in this pointless town to see, and when you die, there's no one to find your bodies."

Sasuke ground his teeth together angrily. A fight he wanted, a fight he would get.

* * *

A/N: Phew, glad I've finally posted this. My conscience was starting to plot my demise if I didn't give you the new chapter soon. ; Here's to the wonderful plot twist in Real Naruto chapter 386! Lovely, lovely.

Until next time.


	13. I'm Just Being Optimistic

A/N: I'm back! I bet you all thought I'd given up, hm? But I promised that I would finish this story, didn't I? Well I've been planning for a long time, and now that school's out and I have the whole summer at my disposal, I can finally write it all out. I thank all of you who still have me alerted, if any of you do. :D I will try my very hardest to get my story finished, and I'm _this _close to planning my finale. But trust me, I have a long way to go. Thank you again. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint for such a long wait. :)

**I don't own Naruto.**

_**Techie and the Agent**_

**Chapter 13**

I'm Just Being Optimistic

* * *

"So, that's it? That's the 'Master Plan' you expect will get me out of here?"

Gamakichi shrugged offhandedly. "Well, yeah, kid, unless you have some other idea."

Naruto glanced at his hands, dirty from lack of washing. They were average, normal hands that were capable of average, normal tasks. They were not trained and chiseled, like Neji's. Nor were they graceful and ingrained with experience, like Sasuke's. Perhaps Naruto's hands would never achieve a perfect hand seal, or drive a sword through an enemy's chest.

But that was all right with him.

His fingers clenched into fists. "Fine, I'll go along with your plan."

Gamakichi looked up from his task of licking his toes and smiled. "That's the spirit!" He hopped down from the bed and approached the cell door.

Naruto watched interestedly.

The toad extended a finger and prodded one of the bars. He hummed to himself. He proceeded to tap and prod every last inch of the door that he could reach, seemingly very intuitive with the material he was investigating.

Gamakichi finally reached a specific bar that had passed the "test", and he motioned Naruto closer. Right before his eyes, the toad licked the bar and waited patiently for something to happen. It didn't take long.

The iron bar started to dissolve starting at the point where the toad licked it. It sizzled and melted until there was nothing left. Naruto's mouth flew open.

"How did you—?"

"Acid saliva," the toad explained. "It runs in my family. Although it's not only in my spit; I can excrete powerful chemicals from any opening on my body. That's why you shouldn't mess with me," he added with a wink.

Getting back to the job at hand, Gamakichi crawled through the small opening. He licked another bar, higher up this time, and then he crawled up to that bar. He continued this trend until he had created a hole in the door large enough for a human to pass through. Naruto carefully dropped his body through the hole. He had to suck in his stomach to avoid grazing the sharp iron edges.

Once he was finally out, he took a moment to stretch. Various joints popped and rolled as he reached his arms above his head. Gamakichi tapped a foot on the ground impatiently.

"Sorry," Naruto muttered.

They traveled down the hallway, careful to not make any noise. The temperature dropped dramatically. It took a good 10 minutes of walking before Gamakichi finally stopped.

"What are we—?"

"Shhh."

The toad edged closer to what appeared to be another cell door. He cleared his throat, and then let out a low croak.

They waited, but nothing happened. Gamakichi repeated the sound once more.

Appearing beneath the wall torch's small beam of light was a hand. Naruto jumped in surprise.

This hand was white as a sheet of paper, as thin as a twig. Long, spindly fingers reached out for something in the distance, slowly unfurling themselves to their full length as though they had been clenched for a very long time. The veins contrasted sharply with the pale, almost transparent skin. The nails were ragged, bloody. It was a very painful sight.

But this did not deter the toad. He grasped the hand like he would a friend's. "It is time," he said in a low voice.

The hand retracted back into the shadows. Naruto studied Gamakichi's hard expression, but he did not say anything.

The toad repeated what he had done to Naruto's cell door, administering his saliva to the bars.

"All ready then, kid?" asked Gamakichi.

A cool voice, rough with disuse, issued out from the dark cell. "Yes, I suppose so."

Naruto's eyes widened as he took in the sight of the person exiting the cell.

The man, or boy, as his size suggested, could be no older than Naruto, and yet his face told otherwise. Piercing green eyes stared back at him, holding no spark or sign of life. The eyes were rimmed in black, and sunken in. His pale skin was stretched tight over his cheekbones from lack of nourishment. His gaunt face was crowned in crimson hair, and a matching Japanese symbol of 'Love' was tattooed on his forehead. His lips were thin and cracked. There was no expression on the young man's face.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked shakily.

Until then, the stranger had not looked in the blonde's direction. But now his dead eyes rested on Naruto's.

"I am Gaara."

Gamakichi grinned. "Now that we're all introduced, let's work our way out of this joint."

"Wait, you never told him my name," said Naruto.

"Oh," replied the toad, "he knows who you are."

The words sent a shiver down his spine.

The trio started walking again, Gaara keeping up with no problem at all. Every once in a while, the red head would stare directly at Naruto—without blinking—for a good minute or two. It was extremely awkward.

"So, you're name is Gaara, right?" asked Naruto as he tried to lamely start up a conversation. "How old are you?"

"I'm 19," came his reply.

"Really? You're the same age as me!"

Gaara gave him another one of his strange stares. "I know that."

"Hey, you know, you look strangely familiar to me…" Naruto put a finger to his chin.

Gaara's mouth twitched just a little. "Do I?"

"Yeah, but I can't remember where I've seen you…" Naruto passed it off as deja-vu, and decided to change the subject.

"Do you remember how you got here?" He immediately wished he hadn't asked that. For all he knew, it could have been a touchy subject for Gaara.

Instead of what Naruto feared, Gaara never faltered in answering the question. "I was a member of Konoha Industries. The reason I joined was because my siblings felt it was necessary that I acquire protection. I had been exposed to the 1st Biju file. I'm sure you're very aware of what that entitles," he said dryly.

"1st Biju…?" Naruto mulled that thought over in his head, all the while wondering why he seemed so familiar.

Gaara hesitated before continuing. "I was captured by some blonde man about a year ago while I was on a mission—against Tsunade's orders—and I've been in this cell ever since. I'm still surprised she even let you out of her sight."

"Yeah," said Naruto, "me too." He recalled the memory of Tsunade explaining the secrets of the 9 Biju. "_They have already obtained 8 of the 9 important files, and he is just the icing on the cake…" _Tsunade's voice echoed in his head almost like she was there in the room. _I have Biju #9, the most powerful…the Kyuubi…_

Something clicked inside his brain. It was so obvious! How could he not see it before?

"You are the one who sent me that message!" Naruto shouted happily. He was so relieved to have made a connection. Gamakichi sprang up and slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Shut it, kid!"

Naruto mumbled an apology, but when the toad removed his hand and hopped back down, he continued, albeit at a lower level.

"It's really you, isn't it? I was so confused—"_The 1__st__ Biju file still exists"_—but now it makes perfect sense! How did you get access to a cell phone? What do you mean, "still exists"? Haven't they captured your Biju? What exactly aren't you telling me?"

Gaara folded his arms across his thin chest. "It's very complicated, I'm not sure you're ready for it yet."

"Are you calling me _stupid_?"

"No, I'm just calling you incompetent."

"_Guys_," stressed Gamakichi, his expression incredulous. "Do you _want _to be found and thrown back in your cell?"

"No," they both answered.

"Then shut _up_, already."

Gaara looked back at Naruto thoughtfully. "I suppose I owe you an explanation, for helping to save me."

"I'd say…" Naruto muttered.

Gaara cleared his throat. "Akatsuki seeks all 9 Biju. Tsunade told you they already had 8 of them, so as to provoke you to become stronger and prove a harder target to capture. Unfortunately, you were captured. I have been here for a year now, but they still don't have Shukaku, the 1st Biju. But in order to keep up appearances, they only spread the rumor that they had it. In reality, they only had _me_, which was good enough for Pein, the Leader of Akatsuki. Now that they captured you, he's probably touting that he's got all 9 and that world domination is around the corner." Gaara scoffed. This small expression of emotion made him seem more human, and it brought a little life into his eyes.

"Why haven't they obtained Shukaku?"

"It's…hard to explain, but their "Machine" isn't working properly. They use it to extract all knowledge of the file from the container, and then afterwards they kill the container. I was ready to be sent to the Machine, but it was postponed and I've been kept down here ever since. Maybe they think letting me go insane will help."

"That's horrible…" Naruto said in a low voice, anger seeping into his words. His sudden sympathy for Gaara surprised him. _I barely know the guy and I'm already thinking of him as a friend_, he thought to himself. Things were getting a little crazy, and all this newfound knowledge was beginning to make him nervous.

"Do you think…" Naruto started.

"Yeah, you were next. I'd assume they would be coming for you any day now, so it's a good thing you're escaping."

Gamakichi smiled over his shoulder at Gaara. "Talkative today, much?" he said sarcastically.

"Yeah," said Gaara, as they reached the end of the hallway leading to the stairwell. "I don't know what's gotten into me."

* * *

Sasuke fell to his knees, shocked at the impact from Sasori's fist. He stood up warily, and wiped the trickle of blood from his lips.

"Let's finish this."

Yamato nodded. They had been fighting for quite a while, and it didn't seem like anyone was winning. Whenever Sasori would aim a punch, another one would be on the way. It was obvious that he was severely outnumbered, but there was something inhuman about the way he fought.

Yamato performed another wood technique, aiming to wrap around Sasori and hold him down. Sasori lashed out with a cutting technique, effectively stopping the tree roots from grabbing hold of his legs.

"You're quite good," Yamato said in a polite tone.

Sasori smiled ruefully. "You, as well. Although I'm getting tired of your students watching. Why don't they come at me? Are they too scared to fight?" Sasori asked thoughtfully.

"You wish," Sasuke growled. He sent his chakra down to his right arm, and charged at Sasori with a full-blown Chidori.

Sasori dodged left, but was intercepted by a kick from Lee. He spun wildly through the air, landing unsteadily on his feet. He looked up in time to avoid most of Tenten's attack, but was hit in the shoulder by her baton. Neji hit him square in the back with his Juuken. He fell forward, but was too late to avoid Sasuke now.

The force of the jutsu knocked him off his feet once more, the chakra driving into his flesh faster than a knife. The electricity sizzled through every part of him. His left side felt numb.

Sasuke breathed heavily when the jutsu ended. He flexed his fingers. _I've still got one more._

Yamato reacted quickly with his wood technique, effectively trapping Sasori down tight with magically altered tree roots. The group cautiously approached the nearly unconscious Akatsuki member.

The spot where Sasuke had struck him with Chidori had been burned badly, but it did not resemble torched flesh. Instead, it was almost…wood-like.

Sasori's skin slowly melted away to reveal a fresh wooden body, exactly like a puppet. Sasori _was _a puppet.

Mixtures of horror and disbelief crossed everyone's faces. How in the world could he function like a human?

The answer was his heart. In the center of his chest was a round, white, pulsing _something. _It was definitely alive.

Sasori took a breath, which looked painful for a puppet. He let out a laugh, although he had lost his usual zeal.

"Okay, so you found out what I am. Are you going to kill me now?"

"No," Hinata said suddenly. Everyone turned to look at her; Her face glowed red. "We want i-information about A-Akatsuki."

"Oh, is that it?" Sasori asked, surprised.

Yamato tightened the makeshift ropes holding him down. "Don't get any ideas," he said seriously.

"I wasn't going to do anything," Sasori defended. He coughed. The white piece that seemed so alive was now covered in blood. The charred pieces of wood that had been hit by Sasuke's Chidori had disintegrated into dust, and it seemed the only human part of the puppet was also damaged. That human piece was the only thing that kept him alive. Sasori didn't have much time left.

"I'll…I'll tell you."

"Where's Naruto?" Sasuke demanded.

Sasori smiled slightly. "He means that much to you?"

"Yes," said Sasuke, "yes he does."

The enemy's eyes closed for a few seconds. When he opened them, Sasori looked weaker than before.

"The Akatsuki headquarters is west from here, about 60 miles. I was scouting in this area because I heard your group was looking for the Kyuubi boy. I knew you would come in this direction because, knowing Orochimaru, he would have pointed you in the wrong direction. If you were to keep going, let's just say you'd find yourself in a huge load of trouble. You can thank me later."

"Cut the crap," Neji said harshly. "Where are they keeping Naruto?"

"He's in a cell, I suppose. I would hurry and find him before Leader gives him to the Machine." He let out another raspy cough.

"Machine?" asked Gai.

"It eliminates the Biju file from the host body. Your friend wouldn't survive after that."

Sasori's body was weakening under the hold of Yamato's technique. His eyes slowly started to close.

"I never agreed with Leader's dumb plans anyway…" He took one last look at Sasuke's face. "You really are...very much like your brother. Make sure…you...never let go…of your friends." Sasori trailed off, his eyes closing for the last time.

Sasuke looked resolutely at the blue cloudless sky above him. He knew the clouds wouldn't stay away forever. It would rain eventually. "Don't worry," he said.

He looked back at the lifeless body that was once Sasori. Without his cocky smirk or angry eyes tarnishing his face, the red head looked almost peaceful in death.

"I _will_ bring Naruto back."

* * *

A/N: Okay, so it's not as long as some of my other chapters, but it's enough to get me in the writing spirit. I hope you weren't too disappointed with my lame fight scene. :P I was really not looking forward to writing it, but it was written easier than I expected. Ah, well, I just didn't want it to last 50 some chapters like canon-Sasori's fight did. Leave a review, tell me how I did after 5 months of hiatus. (Now that I think about it, Gaara is exceptionally OOC. Woops. I guess he's just excited...yeah, that's it...)

-Strudel


	14. The Rebellion Begins

A/N: Okay, here's a nice "long" chapter (as long as I can possibly write, that is) for you all to enjoy. I couldn't update yesterday because of a storm, but now it's finished and ready for reading. I find myself wondering if I should include Team Hawk, meaning Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo, in my story. But I really can't find an opening, who knows if I will ever find one. Maybe later down the line, say, chapter 20, I'll consider putting them in. I still have 2 more people to introduce into my story (besides the rest of Akatsuki, which will take _forever_). Yes, there's _lots _of new, exciting action coming up. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do. :)

**I don't own Naruto.**

_**Techie and the Agent**_

**Chapter 14**

The Rebellion Begins

* * *

Using a small fan from her travel pack, Temari cooled herself off as the temperature in the small thicket approached intolerable. Small insects were buzzing above her head in frenzy, her perspiration attracting them by the hundreds.

Kankuro used the back of his sleeve to clear his forehead of sweat. He attempted to cook a small breakfast with the tiny cook set he brought along in his backpack, but the tinder was wet and wouldn't hold a flame. It had rained the night before, and now the humidity was setting in.

"Well," he said as he lay back against a tree trunk, "I'm going to have to nominate this vacation as the worst outing _ever._"

Temari sent him a look that said everything; She was just as hot, sweaty and exhausted as the next guy. And the humidity really didn't help her hair much.

"We've been out here, how long? Weeks? Notice the plural in that sentence." Kankuro gave a sluggish attempt to grab Temari's fan from her hands, but instead he received a harsh slap on the wrist. "What if he's not even…_alive?_"

"Stop it," she said sternly. "We didn't come all the way here just to give up. I say we enter at midnight."

Her brother's stomach gave a loud gurgle. The failed breakfast had just made him all the more ravenous. Temari reached into her bag and chucked a fruit bar at his face.

"Just eat," she instructed. She frowned as she felt the emptiness in the bag. "Are we all out of water?"

"Guess so," said Kankuro as he scarfed down the insufficient meal. It wasn't filling, but it was better than nothing. He fished around in his own bag, but the only thing he came across was a miniature puppet he had been working on.

It took a minute of silence for the pair to think their situation over. Surely it was worth it, risking your health and sanity to rescue your baby brother…?

"Ugh," Temari grunted suddenly. She stood up from her pile of leaves that served as a temporary bed, shaking away the dirt and twigs that stuck to her bottom.

"Where are you going?" asked Kankuro as she trudged through the forest away from their campsite.

"I'm taking a piss, stay here."

He made a face, although she was no longer able to see it. "While you're at it, maybe try brushing your teeth? Or you could do something about that odor—"

Her small fan hit him squarely in the forehead, effectively cutting him off.

"_Women…_" he growled under his breath. He waited patiently for her to return. Hours passed, and the pair took turns to search for clean water and more food. After Kankuro arrived with scrapes, bruises and no more food than when he left, Temari decided to be the designated "hunter" for the rest of the evening. Her quick capture of a few squirrels and berries proved she was much better suited for the wild.

"You're just lucky, that's all," he used as an excuse while she prepared the gruesome dinner. She glared at him before shoving the squirrel carcass in his hands.

"If you wanted to skin this thing, why didn't you just _say _so?" she said angrily. She wiped down her hands before attempting to start another fire. Kankuro eyed the bloody mess of an animal currently hanging from his hands.

"This is _so _gross." He did as he was told, however, and soon the meat was cooked on an unlikely fire and the berries gave the siblings much needed energy.

Before long, it was dark, and as Kankuro's wristwatch read "12:00", they prepared for the invasion.

Temari bolted her large battle fan to her back, and tried her best to tame the wild mess of hair atop her head. She was by no means girly or materialistic, but if she didn't see her raspberry shampoo and loofah in the next few days, she would _murder _someone. And it would most likely be Kankuro.

Said man was finishing up untangling the strings of his favorite puppet. He looked through the trees towards the ominous castle where they knew their brother was kept.

"Shall we go?" he asked, although he knew the answer.

"Yeah," Temari replied. "Let's kick some Akatsuki ass."

* * *

"In here," said Gamakichi, as he led the two hosts over to a sturdy-looking door. A large deadbolt kept the door locked from the outside, and there was no key in sight, not that they expected to find one.

"Does anyone have a toothpick? A pencil?" the toad asked suddenly. Naruto checked the pockets in his pants, coming up with a mere paper clip and some lint.

"Will this do?" he asked, holding it out for inspection. The toad nodded and took the instrument from him.

Naruto watched with wonder as the toad straightened out the piece of metal into a long shaft, meticulously molding it into a complicated hook-shape. For a creature without thumbs, Gamakichi was proving to be quite gifted with his hands.

Said toad gave the paper clip one long lick, his acid saliva completely coating the surface. Then he fed the wire into the tiny hole in the lock while Gaara hoisted him up in order to reach.

Naruto's first impression was that Gamakichi was attempting to pick the lock, but it became clear as the lock disintegrated from the inside that this was not his intention; he merely wanted to destroy the lock once and for all.

"That way," said the toad as if answering Naruto's questions, "if anyone comes by here and decides to enter, they won't be able to reopen the lock. They will probably assume it rusted over, so it will give us more time before they enter and find out what's been taken."

Naruto looked up in question. "Wait, we're taking something?"

"Oh yes," said Gaara, as he set Gamakichi down on the stone floor once the lock was removed. "I intend to take many things."

The door opened with a low moan, and Gamakichi was the first to hop into the new room. It was dark, dank and dusty, and there was dirt coating just about every surface in the room.

A light bulb suddenly cast its glow around the room, Gaara being the one who found the light switch. Naruto blinked in the sudden glare; he could not remember the last time he saw artificial lighting, let alone natural. The only exchange for darkness he had found in the last few days was the eerie lamp torches along the prison walls.

"I'm going to go keep watch," said Gamakichi. Naruto nodded and turned back to examine the room they had entered. It looked like a storage room. Boxes were stacked along the farthest wall, all marked with unrecognizable letters. Gaara approached a particular box and reached inside it, pulling out a few Styrofoam cases. He pulled off the top half of one, and smiled when he saw the contents.

Naruto moved in closer. Gaara held what looked like a grenade, and the blonde automatically stepped back a few paces.

"You aren't planning on taking that, are you?" he asked in confusion. What was in the rest of the boxes?

Gaara furrowed his brow and placed the grenade in a small bag on his back that Naruto didn't notice he had. "We may need this," he explained.

He found a small bag for Naruto to wear as well, and began stocking it with the same items that he already put in his own bag. Naruto watched from the corner, a little fearful of what they would find.

Gaara was busy inspecting a small handgun when something shiny caught Naruto's eye. He walked over to the object, and found it was partially lodged between two heavy looking boxes and some cinder blocks.

He carefully slid it out and nearly dropped it in surprise. The sword caught the light from the ceiling lamp and bounced it around the room in shards. It was finely crafted, handmade, but it was also very sturdy and durable. He held it up above his head with one hand, weighing it and contemplating putting it back where he found it.

Gaara noticed the gleam of light on the wall next to him, and looked to see what shenanigans Naruto had gotten himself into. His eyes widened as he took in the sheen of the sword. "Where did you get that?"

"I don't know, between these two boxes." He held it out to the redhead. "You want it?"

"Yes," Gaara replied truthfully. He took it in his left hand and ran his right down the length of the blade, careful to avoid the sharp edge. "Is there a sheath?"

"Um," Naruto looked farther on the shelf where he found it, and was pleased to find the casing for the dangerous blade Gaara was holding. "Here it is."

Gaara slid the sword into the sheath and put the strap over his shoulder. It now hung from his back, conveying a message of danger to anyone that should approach him.

After a few more minutes of scavenging, Naruto came up with a few sets of kunai, shuriken and exploding tags, which were all placed in their backpacks for future use. Gamakichi clucked his tongue as they spent more time digging for weapons, his obvious disapproval for their taking their leisurely time apparent on his face.

Gaara fixed a small pistol to Naruto's belt. "I take it you know how to shoot a gun?" he asked with a hint of skepticism.

The blonde laughed. "Of course I know how…" he glanced down at the deadly weapon making its home on his waist, "just, not well."

Gaara grunted. "Better than nothing." He lifted a larger version of Naruto's gun from the same box, a grin already forming on his pale face. "This one, _this _one, I like."

Naruto swallowed audibly, and Gaara let out a laugh, which sounded more like a hyena's bark than a human's expression of happiness. Armed with grenades, handguns and knives, Gaara was no longer weak and defenseless. His eyes completely lost their soulless gaze, and had taken on a new sense of life. Fierce, determined fire was burning within this small, agile man, and Naruto was suddenly very glad he was on the redhead's side.

Naruto felt ridiculous, covered in weaponry yet having neither knowledge nor experience needed to wield it. Gaara gave him a shove, and he felt the weight of the metal in his pack for the first time. It wasn't a comfortable weight, to say the least. He felt the strain in his shoulders, but he decided there was no time for such weaknesses. If Gaara could survive in this place for that long, then _he _could carry a backpack.

Gamakichi sighed in relief when he saw the two exiting the weapon room. He eyed the backpacks filled to the brim with items. "Jeez, take the whole room, why don't you?"

"We didn't take it _all_," defended Naruto. "We just took most of it."

"Yeah, well we better get out of here soon before anyone notices." Gamakichi led the trio, his sense of smell and hearing keeping them unseen. Naruto was in the middle. Gaara brought up the rear; ready for anything that could come from behind.

It was the last thing he needed at the moment, but when Naruto's stomach growled in protest, he had to stop walking.

"I'm hungry," he whispered, careful to keep his voice down but loud enough for the toad to hear.

"Aren't we all," came the sarcastic retort. They continued walking through the lair, passing room after room and various hallways that led to even darker areas. The blonde was beginning to feel like a mole, in every sense of the word—Presumably underground, burrowing deeper into unknown territory, yet knowing exactly where he was and fulfilling the mission of infiltrating the headquarters. He was both a captive and a spy. Surely Tsunade would be pleased to hear all about the inner workings of the lair for future reference, if he ever got out of here.

_No, don't think like that_, he told himself. _We're gonna get out of here, and go back home._

_Home. _Where was home? Was it at his parent's house? Was it his tiny apartment in the heart of the city? Or was it Konoha Inc. headquarters, where he first found friends, found family, and found his _destiny_? He knew what he was, knew what he was meant to do, and his life would never be the same again. So perhaps, maybe it was _fate _that Konoha would become his home. It had made him the happiest he had ever felt. It was meant to be this way.

_Okay, now I'm sounding a bit like Neji_, he mused with a smile. He unconsciously grasped the chain connected to a pendant around his neck. Tsunade gave it to him, for officially joining Konoha and becoming a member of the "family", as she had called it. He looked down at the necklace, and was swept away by a memory…

--

"_Uzumaki!"_

_Naruto lifted his head from his arms, suddenly very awake and very aware that Tsunade was yelling at him. He looked at the puddle of drool on the table where his head had been previously. Why did she always have to interrupt his sleeping sessions?_

"_Sorry, 'Nade, I guess I fell asleep while you were talking," he mumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes._

_She sighed, already haven given up on trying to make him call her by something more formal, like Ms. Tsunade or Boss. _He's never going to respect me, that little brat_, she thought angrily._

_Dismissing the incident as normal Naruto behavior, she continued speaking to him like it never happened. "I have a gift for you."_

_Naruto was wide-awake now. "Really?!"_

"_Yes, but you'll have to follow me."_

_She led him to the community living room, which appeared deserted. But once he stepped over the threshold, many people jumped up from behind sofas and chairs, all shouting, "Welcome home, Naruto!"_

_He glanced at all the faces that he was just coming to recognize. Neji, Ino, Lee, Tenten, Sai, Hinata, Shikamaru, Chouji, Sasuke…all of his friends were here! Even Kakashi and Gai were present.  
_

_Each one rushed forward to congratulate him on becoming an official member of the organization. He felt warmth in his chest as they smiled and hugged him (or in Lee's case, glomped him to death), everyone genuinely happy. Even Sasuke had a smile on his face. And Sai's smile looked less-fake than usual. It was more than he could ever ask for._

_Tsunade placed a necklace around his neck. He looked at it. A jagged-cut piece of stone, and turquoise in color, it had been inscribed with the words 'You're Home' on the back. It was quite a beautiful gift, and Naruto was speechless._

_Tsunade, still being slightly taller than him, bent down and gave him a kiss on the forehead. His face heated up considerably, and a few people chuckled pleasantly at his embarrassment._

_Sasuke appeared on his left and gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder. "Idiot. You better not lose that." He motioned to the pendant now hanging proudly around the blonde's neck._

_Naruto grinned his trademark foxy grin, returning the punch and standing a little bit taller. "I wouldn't dream of it."_

_Sasuke's smiling face lingered in his memory throughout the night._

--

Naruto took a deep breath and tucked the pendant back underneath his shirt. His renewed sense of purpose intact, he took one more step towards his goal, and one more step towards his home.

* * *

"Deidara, take the trash out, will ya? It's stinking up the place," shouted Hidan from his comfy place on the sofa. The only window in the room showed a night sky, and Deidara was hesitant to step outside. He'd never tell anyone, but he was rather afraid of the dark.

"No, why can't you do it, yeah? It's your trash."

Hidan threw an empty pop can at the younger man's head. "I asked you, moron. I'm watching a good show."

Deidara crossed his arms across his chest. "I'm not gonna do it, yeah."

Hidan grunted but said nothing. Kakuzu looked up from his blueprints spread out over a table. "Why don't you just call a servant to do it? We've got plenty."

"Because," Hidan retorted childishly, "I asked Dei to do it."

Kakuzu sighed. When you lived with two extremely immature adults for months in a boring castle, you learned to tolerate the bickering.

Deidara readjusted his blond ponytail with care. "If I take out the garbage, will you buy me more clay? I'm running low, yeah."

"Fine, whatever, just do it before I kill you, that shit _stinks_."

Deidara hummed pleasantly to himself as he pulled the bag from the bin. Hidan was probably going to go back on his word, but Deidara figured it was something to do to get his mind off the boring nothingness that was Akatsuki life.

After he left, Kakuzu sighed again and returned to his work. The Machine was flawed in its design, for it only worked for Biju number 2 through 7, and possibly 9, although they hadn't tried it on the Kyuubi yet. It would take a lot of retracing his steps before Kakuzu could figure out what went wrong with Shukaku. The 1st Biju was the weakest and smallest, by far, yet it had proved to be the biggest challenge. At first, Pein was convinced it was the host that was proving difficult to subdue. But Kakuzu took no chances, and so it was back to the drawing board.

He glanced at the estimated amount of time it would take to recreate portions of the Machine. He figured it would be a week, at the minimum. Pein was becoming impatient. After all the trouble of sending Zetsu out to get the Kyuubi, only to find it was worthless for another couple of weeks…

He stood and stretched, feeling his muscles protest and his joints crack from sitting in the chair all night. He figured he could use some coffee.

"I'm going to go get some coffee, want anything?" he asked his partner, who was still transfixed to the TV screen. Hidan shook his head.

Kakuzu left, leaving Hidan alone in the suddenly empty room. Hidan's stomach rumbled, a sign that he hadn't eaten in hours. He didn't usually stay up this late, but the _24 _marathon was on and he wouldn't miss it for the world. He pressed Pause on the DVR remote.

He too stood and stretched, heading for the kitchen. He figured Kakuzu went there as well, so maybe if he begged he could get the man to make him something to eat.

* * *

Temari and Kankuro stopped walking to gaze up at the large expanse of wall in front of them. With an easy move, they scaled the wall and continued towards a back entrance to the castle. A sudden light caught their attention, and they ducked behind a nearby tree lining a small driveway that led to the back door.

Said door opened, and the beam of light caught on the man's features. Temari held her breath as he walked towards them, holding what looked like a garbage bag.

"I could really use some new clay, yeah," said the man. He looked no older than 30, maybe 25, possibly the same age as Temari. He lifted the lid of a nearby dumpster and tossed the bag in, letting the lid slam down.

But he paused before opening the door. Temari quirked an eyebrow at the strange behavior exhibited by the man. _What is he waiting for?_

She heard a small chirp and the flutter of a feather near her right shoulder. She looked and saw it was a bird. A clay bird, perched on her arm, and rapidly swelling. It looked like it was ready to explode…

"_Temari!_"

And then it did.

* * *

A/N: So...interesting turn of events, I say. And for some reason, the idea of Akatsuki having TiVo makes me laugh. But, in all honesty...I _hate _24. I just thought Hidan would like it, since Jack Bauer tends to swear a lot. His cuppa tea, know what I mean? :P

And I've been slightly worried that Gaara is OOC. Is he too crazy? Too sane? Just right? Let me know what you think—I've made a poll on my profile page for this. So get to voting, people! I'm going to make a lot more polls too, because they're just so darn _fun. _:D

Until next time! -Strudel


	15. Scarlet Water

A/N: _DO YOU KNOW WHAT DAY IT IS?!_ Why, it's the **1 year anniversary of Techie and the Agent! **I'm so happy! TvT I never thought I'd see this day! I wanted to post a new chapter on this day for obvious reasons, so I kind of procrastinated writing it until about last weekend. And I managed to finish it earlier today, so...yeah! **Thank you to everyone who have stuck with me since the beginning, and those who picked it up along the way and still read it to this day! **If I could give a cyber-brownie to all my fans, I would. Next, my goal is to reach **100 reviews**, although I have no "due date" or any unrealistic expectations for all those who do leave a nice review. I love any review I get, and although I may not get many, any feedback is enough. Also, thanks to my poll-voters (I had 3, lol), whoever you are, for being honest and telling me what you think. Gaara is NOT in this chapter, however I made up for it...but I can't tell! You just have to read! :3 (Consider this chapter to be the 1 year anniversary gift to my readers! I worked hard!)

**I don't own Naruto.**

_**Techie and the Agent**_

**Chapter 15**

Scarlet Water

* * *

The smoke cleared after a few moments, but Kankuro was unaware of this fact as he was too frightened to see the damage. His arms were folded tightly over his head as he crouched in fetal position, shielding himself from the explosion.

The explosion itself had only taken a tiny fraction of a second to happen—It was the aftermath, the echo of noise ringing in Kankuro's ears—that seemed to last for eternity.

He cautiously lifted his arms and head from the ground, and rose slightly above the blockade of a bush he had dove behind. Unsure of what he was to find, yet confident that his sister had not allowed a simple attack to end her, he pushed his body off of the ground to face the scene. He would not hide.

After a sweeping glance of what lay before him, Kankuro's pulse sped up just a hair. Temari stood, whole and well, off to his right, her giant fan out and at the ready in front of her. The blond man in the scarlet-clouded cloak had a feisty grin on his face, and his hands—the ones which now revealed to have tiny mouths—barred their teeth and lolled their tongues, as if preparing to fight their own battle.

"Okay there, Kankuro?" Temari drawled, not taking her eyes off of the enemy.

Kankuro scoffed. "It's you I was worried about."

Temari gave a soft laugh, and lowered her stance, crouching like a tiger behind her over-sized fan. She called out, not to her brother, but to the strange man who had attacked them.

"What is your name? What is your affiliation with these headquarters?"

The man, in response, flipped some of his long golden hair behind his shoulder, almost as if he was dismissing the pair as nothing more than children in his presence.

Temari narrowed her eyes.

He sighed in disinterest, and perched one of his mouth-hands on his hip. "My name's Deidara, yeah. I don't feel like I should be telling you anything, so that's all you're going to know."

"Are you a part of Akatsuki?"

He glanced down at his attire and chuckled. "I think that may be pretty obvious."

He received a glare from both of the siblings. "Don't play games with us," Kankuro warned.

That didn't faze Deidara, who was currently ignoring the duo while feeling around inside a small pack on his right hip. He looked thoughtful, while Temari and Kankuro exchanged bewildered looks.

"Oh, that reminds me…" He had their attention once more. "Are you planning on sticking around and fighting, or did you just wanna go on your merry way and never return?"

"What kind of question is _that_?" asked Kankuro in disbelief. "Do you honestly believe we'd turn around and walk away? You probably know why we're here and we aren't about to leave that easily without trying—"

"No," interrupted Deidara, "that's not what I meant." He took a step closer to the siblings, so they could see that his eyes had taken on a morbidly interested look. "What I meant was," he continued, "Do you want to die the easy way, or the hard way?"

Deidara then unveiled his newest creation—a giant clay bird, wings with a 15 foot wing span, talons as sharp as a real bird's own, and a beak larger than Kankuro's head. Deidara perched sturdily on the back of his new weapon, a wild grin plastered on his face. His blue eyes sparkled with delight.

"Art is a bang!"

* * *

"Let's stop here," said Yamato.

After some tinkering, they managed to connect to Konoha headquarters with Yamato's headset.

"_How's it going_?" Shikamaru had asked in a bored tone, sounding like he was preparing for a nap. They heard Ino screeching about something or another in the background, and Shikamaru let out a tired sigh.

"We're stopping in a confidential location for the night, I was hoping we could develop an entrance strategy before morning comes, and then we head out early," said Yamato. He was the leader of the group from here on out; Tsunade had suggested earlier that some of the group should head back to Konoha if they did not meet any other enemies along the way to Akatsuki. Gai, Lee, Neji and Tenten had left the day before.

"_Good. The way Tsunade sees it, this mission becomes riskier every day. It can't be long now before Naruto is in real danger, since Akatsuki wouldn't harm him before they needed him._"

"Yes, I agree," said Yamato. The agents were listening intently to Shikamaru's words, most especially Sasuke.

"How do you know they haven't already killed him?" asked the dark-haired teen angrily. He had struggled to sleep at night because of constant discontentment. The others were so _sure_ of themselves, so sure that Naruto would be okay, but Sasuke wasn't having any of it. To him, he was the only one who truly cared about saving Naruto, while the rest only wanted to stop Akatsuki. Sure, they went hand in hand, but to them, Naruto was only a variable in this crazy situation; He was only an object that Konoha wanted on their side. They wanted Naruto so they could _win_.

Naruto was _not_ a tool.

Sasuke ground his teeth as he waited for the lazy genius to answer his question.

After a short pause—"_Y'know, Sasuke, you should have more faith in Tsunade. She has highly trusted sources informing her of the situation. You just need to trust _her_. Can you do that, Uchiha?"_

Sasuke scoffed. "Of course I can, _Nara_, I just feel that we've wasted too much time and it might be too late when we get there."

"Easy, Sasuke." Yamato placed a hand on the youth's shoulder, much to Sasuke's chagrin. He hated people giving him pity. "Getting mad won't solve anything."

Sasuke got up and sulked off to a spot in the grass—away from the rest—on top of a small hill. He noticed vaguely that Sai was also sitting a distance away from the other agents and about 20 feet away from Sasuke, his nose buried in his sketchpad. He didn't even notice Sasuke come near him.

"What are you drawing?" Sasuke's question caught Sai's attention, and he looked up in mild interest.

"Why, Sasuke, I'm surprised you decided to talk to me civilly. You are usually sour and extremely unlikable. I am confused as to why Naruto would spend time with you." Sai let a smile take over his face, his eyes closing lightly to add to the effect. Fake. It was all fake. Sasuke hated that fake smile, since it reminded him of his brother.

Glaring, Sasuke retorted, "I'm not here to _chat _with you, Sai. I was just curious as to why you hole yourself up away from everyone else like you do. You act like a hermit. I'm confused as to why you even bother coming along with us, if you always choose to close yourself off from other people."

Sai opened his eyes, and blinked. "I never knew you were so observational." He glanced down at his art in thought, absently biting his lower lip. "I guess I sit away from everyone else because I enjoy my privacy, and it makes it easier to imagine things to draw. Artists need their space." Then he added: "And I really do enjoy these missions, for I care about Naruto and I do believe in justice."

"Well," Sasuke reasoned, "I don't try to be cruel, I just rather dislike talking about trivial nothings and I have goals I need to accomplish. Other people and their needs just get in my way. Naruto is the one person who doesn't make me feel like I need to shut everyone out. His opinions matter, and I enjoy having him around. With him, I can just…be me."

Sai unfurled his legs from beneath him and placed his drawings aside. "I suppose we are more alike than we knew."

The Uchiha crossed his arms across his chest. "We are nothing alike."

"Well," said Sai truthfully, "I _am _better looking than you, not to mention more gifted."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Are you _trying_ to get hurt?"

"Is that an invitation to spar?"

"No, I just really feel like punching you."

Sai smiled yet again. Sasuke huffed and turned the other way. They stayed like that for a while.

"Sai! Sasuke! Please come over here," came Yamato's urgent voice from the bottom of the hill. The two teens dutifully returned to the group of agents waiting for them by a newly constructed fire. They took their seats near the small flame, while Hinata supplied everyone with a warm blanket from the car to ward off the rapidly cooling air.

"Is s-something wrong, C-captain Yamato?" Hinata asked shyly after she returned to her spot.

"No, nothing's wr—_there. _Did you feel that?"

Confused, Sasuke leaned in towards his squad leader. "Feel what?"

Yamato's eyes narrowed in concentration. After a few moments, he said: "Someone's here. I can feel their energy."

"How many?" Sai asked coolly. He slowly reached for his pen and paper.

"One. Maybe two. Not very dangerous, but we certainly could be _in _danger if we're found. Everyone, stay here." And with that, he took off for the forest edge. The sun was rapidly disappearing beyond the horizon, so his figure was hardly discernible past the shadow of the trees.

Minutes passed slowly. The three teens shared equally confused and anxious glances.

Finally, Yamato emerged from the forest with a happy yet slightly bewildered smile on his face. Behind him followed two people, teenagers, dressed in obnoxious purple and orange outfits. They seemed familiar to Sasuke.

Hinata glanced worriedly at her captain. "C-Captain Yamato! Behind you!"

Yamato held up a hand in a calm gesture. "Easy there, Hinata. These aren't our enemies."

"Then who are they?" asked Sai haughtily. He seemed a little disappointed that they weren't in for a fight; His hand dropped from his art set rather sulkily.

"Kids," said Yamato—Sasuke _hated _when adults treated him like a child; He rolled his eyes in irritation before they settled back onto the strange newcomers who _still _seemed like from something in his past—"these two are our allies, secret agents who have spied on Naruto those past few months before he was captured to keep him safe."

One of the teens, a female with outrageous pink hair, straightened up and walked over to the group huddled on the ground. She outstretched her hand in a friendly manner.

"This is—" began Yamato, but the girl cut him off.

"I'm Sakura Haruno, and this here"—she motioned to the shaggy haired male behind her—"is Kiba Inuzuka. We're going to be joining your team for awhile."

Sasuke could barely suppress a groan. This Sakura girl already acted like she knew them and that Kiba kid appeared slightly unstable. _And—oh—he's got a dog._

_Great_, thought Sasuke morosely.

The dog yipped, as if it heard what Sasuke was thinking. He shot eye-daggers at it in vain.

After the two newcomers properly introduced themselves to Sasuke, Sai and Hinata, they too took a seat near the fire. It was now dark, and strange sounds emanated from the forest. As it turned out, Kiba wasn't just unstable but temperamental. He got overexcited about everything and completely diminished their food supply. His dog was annoying, too.

Sakura laughed lightly at something Kiba had said (of which Sasuke found _no _humor), when that strange sensation of recognizing someone came back to haunt his conscience.

"Why do I feel like I know you…?" Sasuke trailed off. He didn't want to sound conversational, but the curiosity was too much and he had a feeling they were related to Naruto in some way, as well.

"Ah! You don't remember me, Sasuke?" Sakura asked, slightly offended. She brushed it off with a flick of her wrist. "Well, I suppose we didn't exactly exchange phone numbers or anything. I mean, we barely shared a few words if any at all. Although I was watching you come in…and walk to the desk… and bend over to tie your shoes…and I could have _sworn _you waved at me but I might be mistaken—"

Sasuke cleared his throat loudly. _Ahem._

A rosy flush appeared on her cheeks as she struggled to regain her composure. "Ah, sorry, I tend to ramble…what was I saying? Oh, yes. I worked with little Naru at TechTeam, along with Kiba, for a few months to keep an eye on him." She gave Sasuke a sly grin and winked. "I just _acted _helpless. He didn't have a _clue._"

She cackled, and chills swept up Sasuke's spine. _Creepy_. He instantly felt pity for Naruto for having to work with such a woman.

Kiba piped up: "Yeah! We were assigned by Tsunade to become employees where Naruto spent a lot of his time in order to keep him safe, especially when Akatsuki decided to make a move." He added, "We were really lucky you showed up when you did; Tsunade really knows how to run an organization."

Sasuke frowned. "If you worked for Konoha Corp., why didn't I ever see you around at headquarters?"

"We didn't live in HQ, instead we preferred to live a semi-normal life away from the chaos involved with being on duty 24/7," explained Sakura. "We were signed to a contract with Konoha never to reveal their location or members' identities, but we told Tsunade we would be on-call until she needed us. And luckily, we happened to have the skills necessary to take on that particular mission. To protect Naruto."

"I wouldn't call working at a minimum-wage technology store a _skill_," said Sai with a smile. Sakura smirked.

"That shows what _you _know."

Kiba rubbed his belly happily. "Thanks for the sausages, Captain Yamato! They really hit the spot!"

"You are very welcome."

"How did you k-know where to f-find us? I thought our location was confidential," stuttered out Hinata from behind her heavy fleece blanket.

"Didn't he tell you we were coming?" asked Kiba in confusion. He had already taken a liking to the shy light-eyed girl, as Sasuke had observed, and he had let his dog Akamaru sit on her lap.

"Who's 'he'?"

Yamato laughed. "I think I've got an idea…" He caught Sasuke's questioning stare. "Well, Kakashi, of course."

* * *

Her chest heaved in exhaustion as she attempted to calm her racing heart. Never before had she been challenged this way in a fight. Temari knew that Kankuro was not fairing any better; She had always beaten him in scrimmages by a good amount.

Kankuro wiggled his fingers, trying to regain feeling after straining his chakra channels in the appendages in order to reach the long-distance-fighter's body. Deidara was proving to be much more dangerous than they had previously predicted.

Deidara hadn't gotten by unscathed, either. He was nursing a deadly gash on the left side of his torso from Kankuro's puppet's long claw-like fingers. He had narrowly avoided Temari's wind gusts, instinctively knowing that if he got caught in the whirlwind, he'd be sliced _and _diced. His clay supply was basically at zero, too.

After realizing that he had one small piece of clay left and little to no chakra remaining in his system, Deidara decided it was now or never. He had to end this before these _amateurs _actually beat him.

He'd never admit it to someone like Sasori or Hidan, but he had _vastly _underestimated the siblings. They were some wicked sparring partners, that's for sure.

Kankuro met his sister's knowing look with one of his own. "Ready?" he asked. She nodded.

"Wind and Puppet Combination: Sand Sibling Strike!" they shouted in unison. Deidara could only watch with wide eyes.

Temari's fan whipped through the air faster than you could blink an eye. The wind traveled through the space remaining between Deidara and the siblings, aiming for Deidara's right side. He ducked and leaned to the left, his injury slightly stunting his movement as he realized too late that the choice to dodge had risked tearing his wound even further. His clay pack was ripped from his clothing easily, landing who knows how far back behind him into the forest. He was completely defenseless.

Kankuro's miniature puppet, Slash, was built for sneak attacks. It was visibly smaller and lighter than his other puppets, and it's speed coupled with a smaller target equaled a more deadlier weapon. It was embedded with poison needles that could shoot out of it's torso if need be, but the main attack was the razor-sharp sword encased in the entire length of the body. All it took was a flick of Kankuro's finger, and it would extend and plunge into even stone. His chakra only reinforced the strength.

Deidara landed to the left with a thud, one hand clutching his wound tightly as every nerve in his body stood on end. _Damn_, he thought as he lifted the hand to see scarlet blood coating his fingers, _I should have been more careful._

He heard a clacking, but in his disorientated state he could not place the location. He flung his arms up in front of his body in the last resort for protection, but it was too late.

He looked down his body to see the small puppet and its deadly sword peeking out from his body, deeply embedded in his body. A shockwave of pain laced through his system, starting at the point of entry right between his ribs. Before he knew it, he was on his knees.

Temari doubled over from lack of energy. That last attack was her final move. She and Kankuro had been working on that combo attack for months, and she was rather glad she could use it now to help save their brother.

She watched as her enemy collapsed from the pain and blood loss, but she did not feel pity.

He was the reason her brother was here. He was the reason her family had suffered so much. And he would pay for what he did.

"You know," Deidara said breathily, barely able to stay conscious, "your brother was rather hard to capture. He put up quite a fight, yeah."

"Yeah, that's the Gaara we know and love," replied Kankuro, a wistful look on his face. It was then replaced with a deep loathing, hatred so deep it was unheard of. "That's the Gaara you took away from us, you bastard."

Deidara smiled ruefully. He managed to shift his body onto his back. The bleeding would not stop, nor did Kankuro expect it to anytime soon.

"Do you want to die at our feet, or should we end it for you quickly?" Temari asked. She regained her breath, but could not shake the intense exhaustion caused by lack of chakra. She would need time to recuperate, but she knew she did not have that privilege. They would have to enter the castle and rescue Gaara.

This brought a laugh—which morphed into hacking up more blood from his damaged lungs—from Deidara. "Sounds like what I said earlier, yeah? Only now it's the other way around."

He looked between Temari and Kankuro thoughtfully. "You two actually beat me…" The tongues on his hand lolled out of their mouths lazily, like they had no more strength than their host body did. Deidara spent a long moment completely silent. Contemplation.

"Kill me, yeah," he said resolutely. "I'm an artist, and I believe that art comes and goes as it pleases. What do I have left to live for now, yeah?"

"Don't you have any family?" Temari asked, trying to find something human about her enemy.

"Nope," he said. "I was a rogue ninja after blowing my village up. They're dead."

"Don't you feel remorse?" Kankuro demanded. "Don't you feel at least a little bit guilty at _all_?"

"I think you—" he coughed harshly again, "—know the answer to that question."

The brunette man scoffed in disgust. Deidara gave him a blank look.

"I do miss them, yeah." His blue eyes angled up to stare at the even brighter blue sky. "I wonder if they would be happy with what I've done?" A small smile played at his lips, as if he was unsure what emotion he was supposed to have. He tensed as another pang of hurt swept through his system, breaching his mental barriers to block out the pain that he had put up as a ninja. The heat intensified, swirling around his wound but also in his heart. It beat quickly, then slowly, feebly trying to keep up a steady rhythm. His heart was hurting, too. He felt it's beats slow once more, but they did not pick up. Soon it was a second between each heart beat, then two. He waited for it to stop.

He felt the last bit of life leave his body, felt the mouths on his hands close and his legs go numb. _This is it_, he decided. In the end, he had deserved it. The murder of his entire village at his skilled hand had caught up to him, and karma dealt a blow that would serve the dead their justice. With a last look at the sky, which shined so blue and bright and artistic, Deidara closed his eyes. The artist had made his final masterpiece. And with his final show, he died.

As Deidara always said, art was a bang.

* * *

"We should go in now," Temari suggested. Kankuro nodded before taking a final look at their fallen enemy. There was no point in moving the blond man. Maybe, in some sick twisted way, his body could represent its own beauty. A work of art even after death. That, thought Kankuro, was what he would have wanted. No, there really was no point in moving him.

He stiffened instead of following Temari into the castle. Someone was watching him...

"Yo." A tall man with an unusual silver gravity-defying hairstyle walked up to him from behind a large tree. The sunlight glinted off a tiny badge on his green athletic sweater. '_Konoha Corp., Jounin_', it read. Kankuro relaxed.

"What is your name?" the puppet master asked. Temari heard his voice and turned, raising her eyebrows at the newcomer. She seemed to trust Kankuro's judgment, and as he was not particularly worried, she was not either.

"Kakashi Hatake. I'm from Konoha, and I'm here to help." He turned to look at Temari. "Let's go save your brother."

_The more the merrier_, she mused.

* * *

A/N: That last part might have seemed rushed, but that's because it WAS rushed. I wrote that in last minute because I realized I hadn't included that scene in my original draft. But it's necessary, so...I hope you don't mind. Anyways, good chapter? Bad chapter? Weird chapter? Let me know! **Vote in my new poll on my profile page**, and tell me what you think! Now that I got this whole deadline thing over with, I can relax and get back to writing when I feel like it. The way an author should be! :D

I started school again, _blechhh. _But it's actually much more interesting than last year, as far as classes go. I'm going to be swamped with homework from here on out, I know that much. But I'll still write as much as I can. Also: I'm taking Drawing class, since I want to learn how to draw people. XD I usually tell people I'm the writer, not the artist, but it's funny how this chapter was so Deidara-based (therefore art-based) when I'm learning new things every day in art class. Who knows, maybe I'll be good enough to actually draw fanart? :D A girl can dream...But I drew a pretty dang good Konan picture, so it's not impossible!

(PS: If anyone knows where I got the chapter title from, you win a...well, you win something! XD)

Until next time! -Strudel


End file.
